Any animal, once scanned in any SAIF facility, may not be taken back to its original housing facility without going through quarantine.
There are two areas designated to hold SAIF animals:
- Smilow-1: 7000 sq ft facility that opened in 2012 and has the capacity to accommodate 400 rodent cages
- John Morgan Building B-100: 5000 sq ft facility that was renovated in 2013 and has the capacity to accommodate 400 rodent cages
It is expected that animals will be housed in the SAIF for longitudinal studies only. New NSG housing will be available the fall of 2024.
Completion of the Study
After a study is completed, it is expected that the animals will be either euthanized or moved back into another housing facility after being quarantined. Animals designated to be euthanized immediately after scanning may be transported from their non-SAIF housing to SAIF areas, scanned and appropriately euthanized.
Animal Husbandry
Husbandry of animals is provided by ULAR
Radioactivity
For animals being imaged using radioactive materials, a designated holding room is provided to allow the radioactivity to decay safely. The SAIF staff monitors the radioactivity. It is the responsibility of the investigator to provide for husbandry during this decay period, as ULAR will not handle radioactive animals. Typically for 18F-labelled reagents, this period is only 24 hours. In case of questions, address them to Eric Blankemeyer.
Facility Access
Personnel access to all SAIF housing areas is granted on an "as needed" basis. All questions regarding housing, access, length of stay, etc., in SAIF housing should be addressed to: Katie Zaifert Malitsky, MS (katie.malitsky@pennmedicine.upenn.edu).
Animals ordered through ULAR may be delivered directly to the SAIF housing areas, but only with prior arrangement with SAIF and ULAR staff. Animals being relocated from another facility require special arrangements. Please contact Katie Malitsky for more information.
Longitudinal housing requires an approved SAIF application and protocols must specifically state that the animals will be housed in a SAIF facility. An Animal Ordering Request (AOS) form must be completed for every shipment of animals.
Instructions for completing an AOS form:
- Visit the Small Animal Imaging section of the Path BioResource website
- Under the Services section in the left navigation, select: Request Services
- Log in with your Penn Key
- From the dropdown menu, select your SAIF application number
- Select: Animal Ordering Request (AOS)
- Complete the form and submit for approval
Once requests are approved, your animals will be placed by ULAR in the appropriate SAIF housing facility.
High-Risk Animals
High-risk animals require additional procedures and will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Personal Protective Equipment
All investigators are required to follow proper gowning procedures and to log animals in and out of SAIF housing. Failure to do so will result in loss of privileges. This is to insure the safety of all investigators animals. Please see SAIF SOP 2.01 for details.