Caster Brakes Provide Added Care for Animals and Support Staff
By Mike Titizian
Forces of inertia and momentum become much more dangerous when animal laboratory equipment is mounted with casters.
Greening the Vivarium
By Vito D'Incognito
Objective verification and standards can help vivarium managers evaluate the green credentials of products and services.
Emerging Issues in Research, Housing and Vivarium Design
By Helen Kelly, Vera Baumans
ALN World asked research practitioners and vivarium design professionals about the future of vivarium design. Here are their answers.
Disposable Caging
By Jim Fallon
Simplify Processes and Reduce Biosecurity Risk at Your Facility
Since You Asked…. “How can we purchase equipment on shrinking budgets?”
By Jack Metterville
Make a number of inquiries and don’t be afraid to ask for the best price.
Varied Views on Global Housing Standards
By Mike Sidelsky, Sr. RLATG
As LAS becomes more and more globalised, it can be confusing to figure out which regulations to follow. Here, six industry representatives give their thoughts on the future of housing standards worldwide.
Case Study: The Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building at Stanford University
By Reese Zasio
The new 26,000 cage facility focused on achieving utility savings and recycling goals.
Playrooms for Rats: Nonsense or Useful Tool in a Laboratory Environment?
By Anja Petrie
To reduce fighting among rat populations, the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health created special playrooms.
Bringing the Wild Inside the Lab: The Enrichment Dilemma
By Vera Baumans, Helen Kelly
Recent studies have shown that enrichment improves the results of laboratory experiments, but it can make experiments more expensive and labour intensive. How much enrichment is sufficient?
User Knows Best: Post-Occupancy Conversations
By James F. Cartwright, AIA, Robert K. Young, RVT, RLATg
The final judges of how well a vivarium has been designed and constructed are its users—the personnel who work in it on a daily basis and keep it operating 24/7/365.
Lab Animal Care: Guidelines to Good Practice in Housing and Handling
By Vera Baumans, Helen Kelly
A checklist for good practice when caring for rodents in the laboratory.
Since You Asked...How can I get some of the equipment that I know big labs are getting rid of?”
By Jack Metterville
"We’re a small facility. How can I get some of the equipment that I know big labs are getting rid of?”
IVCs and Housing Guidelines: Where Did They Come From?
By Michael Sidelsky, RLATG
From simple beginnings, IVCs have evolved into complex systems that filter contaminants and reduce labour.
The 3 Green Rs - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
By Jack Metterville
Unwanted and unused vivarium equipment doesn’t have to sit idly taking up space. Stainless steel equipment and plastic caging can have a second life.
Adopting Disposable Caging: Case Study of Breeding Results
By Dr. Marek Piechowiak
The cage wash was old and failing, the boiler needed replacing, cost estimates were staggering, and the construction period would put our breeding operation in jeopardy. Faced with this situation we compared disposable IVC caging to the washable system we were using at the time.
Disposable Caging – How it Helped Our Lab Grow
By Dr. Richard Lin
Explora Biolabs was looking to scale up rapidly, and disposable caging offered financial
and operational benefits.
Buying and Selling Refurbished Equipment
By Scott Gardner
Buying refurbished equipment and selling your surplus makes sense in a tough economy.
Designing for Natural Behaviour
By Mike Jackson
A focus group looks at creating a rat cage with animal welfare at the forefront
The Evolution of Individually Ventilated Cages
By Gianpaolo Milite, DVM, M.Sc.
The evolution of caging systems over recent decades has run parallel to changes in the requirements coming from academic institutions and the research industry.
Coordinating IVC Racks with Building's HVAC Systems: Ships passing in the night?
By Walter Broner, AIA, CSI, LEED AP
A look at the most commonly encountered ventilation schemes for holding rooms intended to be equipped with IVC racks and the decisions to be made in concert by owner and the design professional in order to ensure a successful, reduced-stress project.
Automation: A New Era!
By Bruce Ginder
“Cage handling automation does not work!” How often have you heard this in the hallway discussions of industry conventions or meetings?
Facility Automation: Focusing Your Scope on Optimizing IVC Performance
By Rick Deitrich
Having spent a considerable amount of time over the past 30 years working with planners, architects, engineers, facility directors, and supervisors, I have come to appreciate the challenges that confront the design team and the importance of considering each of the disciplines that are brought to the table.
The Realities of Energy Efficiency in Ventilated Housing Systems
By Gail A. Heidbrink, RLATG
Ventilated caging systems have been a primary contributor to the rapid advances of biomedical research in recent decades. Their increased usage has also been an indirect contributor to energy savings for many institutions for a variety of factors.
Disposable Caging -- Yes or No?
By Dr. Robert Faith, DVM, Ph.D, DACLAM
The decision of whether or not to use disposable caging is a serious one. Here are some factors to consider.
The ABCs of IVCs
By Sally Thomas
Things to think about when purchasing and using individually ventilated caging systems.