Service Overview
Colony Maintenance
Ongoing colony maintenance keeps your mouse lines healthy and productive:
- Breeding pair management:Maintain optimal breeding pairs for continuous production
- Genotype tracking:Systematic genotyping and record keeping
- Health monitoring:Regular health assessment and veterinary oversight
- Census management:Track animal numbers, ages, and genotypes
- Reporting:Regular updates on colony status and production
Breeding Expansion
Expansion breeding scales an existing colony toward experimental group sizes:
- Genotype targeted breeding:Breed to specific genotypes and numbers for experiments
- Age matched cohorts:Coordinate breeding for age synchronized animals
- Sex balanced groups:Generate appropriate male and female numbers
- Schedule optimization:Strategic breeding to meet experimental deadlines
- Large scale production:Scale colony for high throughput studies
Complex Breeding Schemes
Multi allele breeding requires careful genetic management, including conditional knockout cohort breeding:
- Conditional knockout breeding:Floxed allele crossed to Cre driver
- Multi allele combinations:Compound mutants with multiple modifications
- Reporter crosses:Breeding for lineage tracing or expression analysis
- Backcrossing programs:Systematic strain background purification
- Intercross management:Generating homozygotes from heterozygote crosses
Genotyping Services
Routine Genotyping
Accurate genotyping is essential for colony management:
- PCR based genotyping:Standard endpoint PCR for allele detection
- Multiplex assays:Simultaneous detection of multiple alleles
- Quantitative genotyping:Distinguish heterozygotes from homozygotes
- Cre detection:Confirm presence of Cre transgene
- Quality control:Validated assays with appropriate controls
Assay Development
For new alleles or complex genotypes, we develop and validate generated genotyping assays:
- Primer design for targeted alleles
- Assay optimization and validation
- Positive and negative control establishment
- Protocol documentation for technology transfer
Breeding Strategies
Conditional Knockout Breeding
| Cross | Offspring | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Flox/+ × Cre/+ | Flox/+ Cre/+ | F1 compound heterozygotes |
| Flox/+ Cre/+ × Flox/Flox | Flox/Flox Cre/+ | Experimental animals |
| Flox/Flox Cre- | Flox/Flox Cre- | Littermate controls |
Backcrossing Programs
| Generation | Background Purity | Time Required |
|---|---|---|
| N1 | 50% | Contact us |
| N5 | 97% | Contact us |
| N10 | 99.9% (congenic) | Contact us |
Facility and Health Status
SPF Health Status
Our facility maintains SPF (specific pathogen free) health status:
- Regular sentinel testing for common mouse pathogens
- Barrier housing with controlled access
- HEPA filtered air handling
- Autoclaved bedding and supplies
- Health certification provided with shipments
Animal Care Standards
Professional animal husbandry ensures colony health:
- AAALAC accredited or equivalent standards
- Experienced animal care technicians
- Veterinary oversight and consultation
- Environmental enrichment
- Detailed health and breeding records
Advantages of Professional Colony Management
Resource Efficiency
Outsourcing colony management provides institutional benefits:
- Free vivarium space for active experiments
- Reduce per diem costs for maintenance animals
- Avoid capital investment in breeding infrastructure
- Focus staff time on experimental work
Expertise and Consistency
Professional management provides:
- Experienced breeding technicians
- Optimized breeding strategies
- Consistent genotyping quality
- Detailed record keeping
- Troubleshooting for difficult breeders
What Researchers Say
“Our project manager did an outstanding job and has provided us with excellent customer service. Her availability to clarify issues has been nothing short of fantastic. I have recommended ingenious to others. Look forward for further collaboration on other projects.”
— Hamid M. Said, PhD, PharmD
University of California, Irvine
