Share thisWith the proliferation of independent and project specific funding, there has been a growing demand to keep animal colonies or strains completely separate and apart from one another.
With the proliferation of independent and project specific funding, there has been a growing demand to keep animal colonies or strains completely separate and apart from one another. So comes an interesting challenge from the animal research community. How can we study our animals using shared capital equipment without ruining the integrity of the project by removing them from their controlled habitat?
Innovative capital equipment manufacturers have embraced the challenge by designing smaller and more cost effective units making it possible for individual colonies to have their own research tools. This is also the case with imaging equipment. In the past, animal laboratories commonly shared a radiographic system handed down from a nearby hospital designed for use on humans. Today?s animal researchers have access to dedicated systems designed specifically for use in animal research. While their primary use has been for general radiographic and magnification studies, there has been a growing interest in using similar systems for irradiation procedures.
Former methods of irradiation employed the use of an irradiator and isotopic source such as Cesium. With irradiators, the energy and radiation field size is fixed not variable. Costs for the system and isotopes exceed $150K. Mandatory licensing is required from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) along with annual inspections and fees.
Structural and shielding requirements can also be more extensive for irradiators. The room must be structurally sound enough to support its weight.