Pre-Clinical Research Center

Animal research plays an essential role in the study of health and diseases, as well as in the development of modern medicines and surgical techniques. The Faculty of Life Sciences Preclinical Research Center offers a one-stop shop for all your in-vivo needs, and provides an excellent research environment. This state-of-the-art facility employs an experienced, professional team of animal caretakers whose highest priority is the welfare of the animals. Researchers from both within and outside the university routinely use our services.

About the Animal Facility

The Preclinical Research Center was inaugurated in 2015. It is designed to accommodate mice in IVC cages under SPF conditions. The services provided include breeding, quarantine, reverse light cycle, behavior tests, maintenance, procedure rooms, and an imaging center.

Five rooms are designated as a professional area for investigators to carry out examinations, observations, manipulations, and procedures. Vivarium, Behavior room,  Metabolic room,  Imaging Room, Procedure room

Veterinary Services

The head of the center, in cooperation with the university staff veterinarians, is responsible for the

health and care of the animals. Together with the facility and ethics coordinator, he is available for consultations, and advises on subjects such as experimental design and the writing and approval of ethical protocols.

Other services offered at the Preclinical Research Center include:

• Minor manipulative or surgical procedures

• Blood collection

• Treatment and administration of anesthetics, analgesics, and drugs to animals

• In vivo imaging and radiation

• Necropsy examination

• Clinical pathology and laboratory tests

• Rabbit antibody production

• Import and export of animals

Team:
Head of the vivarium and vet – Simon Tinman
Vivarium responsible and animal caretaker – Meir Huta
Animal Technician (procedures) – Rivka Sabag
Washing area – Itamar Giladi
Animal caretakers – Bezalel Mishne and Itamar Nativ

Animal Facility and Ethics Coordinator - 

Dr. Shelly Ziv Lherman

Vivarium
Sensemode monitoring on line (alarms through email and cellular messages)
Temp: 20-24 C
RH: 35- 65%
Light: 12/12 (7:00 – 19:00 light)
HEPA filtered air (building)
IVC – Green line Teniplast cages
Irradiated pellets (food) – Altromin, Germany
Water – 4 filters (until 0.2 micron) + acidifying pH 2.8 + Chlorinator
All the equipment disinfected and Autoclaved
Biometry entrance
Internal doors: private doors
Video
Health monitoring: daily cage checks
FELASA Annual + another 1-2 quarterly FELASA + any unexpected case
Equipment entrance room: Dual chamber
Hydrogen peroxide – disinfection
Air flow – Hood for animals
Storage room – equipment, bedding, and disposables
Low Temperature Storage – Food
Animal care takers – Special clothes + Single use
Students – single use clothes on top
Gowns, shoe cover, head cover, mask, gloves
Air washer

Washing area
“Dirty” and Clean side
Cage change – Maximum every 10 days
Dirty bedding safety disposal
Washing machine for ages
Washing machine for bottles
Clean Bedding safety filling machine
Double door Tuttenauer autoclave


Maintenance rooms:
3 Maintenance room
1 breeding room for immuno-deficient mice
IVC – positive pressure
Tecniplast – green line
5 adults mice/ cage
Every cage – tag
Special tags: Solitary mice in cage, special food, overcrowding, suspected sick , injured mice; breeding cage, pups, etc.

Quarantine room
“clean quarantine”
Different colored cages
Negative pressure (room and rack)
Parallel passage to washing area
Last time of the day
Special entry permit
Different entrance


Procedure room
Big Biosafety hood
Anesthesia machine – Isoflurane (Chemical hood)
Freezer and refrigerator
CO2 Euthanasia chamber
Pos- op room
Blood Analyzers (Biochemistry and analyzer) room
Computer and Printer
Centrifuge, clipper, microscopes, magnifying lens, etc

Behavior room
Prof Eitan Okun
1 maintenance Reverse light (20:00 – 8:00 Light)
2 behavior rooms

Metabolic room

Imaging Room
MRI
Fluorescence in vivo – Maestro
X Ray
NMR
Blood pressure unit

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Shimon Tinman

Veterinarian and Head of the Animal Facilities

Tel: 972-3-5318748; [email protected]

Dr. Shelly Ziv Lherman

Animal Facility and Ethics Coordinator

Tel: 972-3-7384215; [email protected]