The Central Service for Experimental Research (SCSIE) counts on a new equipment of no-invasive image for experimentation animals. Supported by ERDF funds, the ‘IVIS Lumina’ not only reduce the use of experimentation animals but makes possible the longitudinal analysis, of great value in studies about evolution in biological processes.
The biomedical research is one of the most promising tools for the resolution of human health issues as cancer or cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, amongst others. Meanwhile this rapid evolution of this kind of research, the society has developed a social sensitivity for animals and its care, and this has resulted in a European legislation that aim for ensuring the good practices with experimentation animals. In this line, the institutions that makes biomedical research with animals must comply with the good practices meanwhile they keep the aim of advancing knowledge to the resolution of issues.
The current legislation is oriented to reduce the use of experimentation animals as well as maximizing the information obtained of each specimen. For that reason, the no-invasive image equipment represents an inestimable tool for obtaining biological relevant information without the need to sacrifice the animal. This equipment uses technologies based on magnetic resonance, positron emission, ultrasensitive detection of luminescence, X rays or ultrasound.
As well as medicine, this technique neither interferes nor harms to living organism; reduces the use of experimentation animals and makes possible the longitudinal studies, which make easy the collecting of information of the same animal in different times of its life, which doesn’t happen in endpoint studies.
The new image equipment, IVIS Lumina-Perkin Elmer, makes easy the collecting of images in small experimentation animals - rodent species - by bioluminescence or fluorescence and X rays, as well as direct image through an ultrasensitive camera. The possibility of capturing light signals enables the use, in animals, of innocuous reagents designed for producing light in response to biological processes that happen inside organisms. Chemistry of biomolecules and genetic engineering progress is based on this.
This equipment is interesting for biomedical researchers of different fields, from university Professors/Researchers to Doctors/Researchers of hospitals and institutes of health research. Among other abilities, the tool can analyse the bone mass for the study of osteoporosis processes, observe the tumor growth of human cancer in animal models, the functioning of cardiovascular system and the search of molecules that improve the hypertension or the inflammatory response, and the wound healing processes or tissue regeneration for stem cell transplants.
Set in Production and Animal Experimentation Service of SCSIE, Burjassot-Paterna Campus, the equipment has been funded by ERDF-Valencian Government as project IDIFEDER 2018 060, leaded by the dean of Cell Biology of Universitat de València Isabel Fariñas. Supervised by qualified technical staff, IVIS Lumina is available for all those users of the Valencia region who indicate it.
Links:
