The Ningbo University Laboratory Animal Center serves as an important public service platform for Ningbo University. The Center is located on the west side of Ningbo University Medical School, and works under the guidance of Ningbo University Laboratory Animal Management Committee as well as the joint leadership of the School of Medicine and the Office of Assets and Laboratory Management, with daily operations and administrative work managed by the School of Medicine of Ningbo University, and under the supervision, inspection and management of the Zhejiang Provincial Laboratory Animal Management Committee.
The Center has passed the acceptance of related departments at the end of 2008 and obtained the "Laboratory Animal Use Permit" issued by the Department of Science and Technology of Zhejiang Province for authorized operation. It is the first SPF-level laboratory animal center in Ningbo as well as one of the members of the public service platform for laboratory animals in Zhejiang Province.
The Center currently has a building area of 1,500 ㎡, including a general environment animal feeding and experimental area (220 ㎡), a barrier environment animal feeding and experimental area (SPF class laboratory and feeding area for small rodents, 770 ㎡) as well as auxiliary rooms (510 ㎡). The general environment rearing consists of the guinea pig rearing room and the rabbit rearing room. Both the general and barrier environments are equipped with animal surgery rooms and laboratories, which can serve as standard sites for laboratory workers to perform experiments on general-grade and SPF-grade animals. Furthermore, the Center is equipped with offices, demonstration rooms and multi-functional laboratories.
A system of quality certification is implemented for animal supply so as to ensure quality standardization. The Center is staffed with excellent professional breeding personnel and can breed commonly used experimental animals at all levels. The categories include medium-sized animals such as general grade rabbits and guinea pigs; SPF grade small rodents including laboratory animals such as SD rats, ICR mice, Kunming mice, guinea pigs, BALB/C and C57BL/6 mice and BALB/C nude mice; also, the Center is able to provide animal feeding equipment and related materials complying with the standards.
The Center is equipped with animal surgery rooms and various laboratories. It is equipped with small animal anesthesia machine, small animal ventilator, biochemical analyzer, hematology analyzer, urine analyzer, surgical microscope, Ultrasound B, blood pressure instrument, various surgical instruments as well as other instruments and equipment. Also, it is equipped with small equipment related to surgery as well as drugs, reagents, etc. The Center is capable of undertaking animal experiments in related disciplines such as pathophysiology, medical imaging, pharmacology, toxicology, biochemistry and molecular biology, immunology, and neurobehavior.
The technical staff of the Center are well experienced in making large and small animal disease models, for example, the production of in vivo surgical models of organs such as arteriovenous vascular intubation, gastric intubation, and gallbladder intubation, as well as various models of coronary ischemic heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, neurobehavior, etc. in animals.
Since the Center was put into operation, it has undertaken a number of national and provincial research projects related to laboratory animals. The scientific research staff of the Center has accomplished 2 national scientific research projects, 8 provincial and ministerial level projects, and undertakes more than 40 scientific research projects by scientific research units both inside and outside the University every year. With enthusiastic, high-quality services and superb experimental techniques, the Center has received high praise from researchers.
In recent years, the Center has been improving the management rules and management system of laboratory animals, and has completed the Compilation of Rules and Regulations of Ningbo University Laboratory Animal Center. By scientifically establishing various rules and regulations and reinforcing internal management, the Center is now developing into a scientific, standardized and institutionalized laboratory animal center.
The Center attaches great importance to the training of talents and has formulated plans for the construction of the talent team, and dispatches professional and technical personnel to attend training courses every year to master advanced experience and technology. Currently, the Ningbo University Laboratory Animal Center has a reasonable disciplinary echelon structure: among the technicians, one is majoring in Clinical Medicine, one majoring in Basic Medicine, one majoring in Biology, two majoring in Zoology; one has senior title, one with intermediate title, five with postgraduate degree.
Presently, all laboratory sites and facilities of the Center are publicly accessible, providing standard laboratory animals and standard laboratory sites required for teaching and scientific research for institutions of higher learning, medical and health systems, as well as biopharmaceutical enterprises. Relying on the solid talents, scientific research conditions and favorable human environment of Ningbo University, the Laboratory Animal Center is actively engaged in experimental research and technical services.
