Animal Care Facilities

Overview of Animal Care Services

About the Small Animal Research Facility: 

The Small Animal Research Facility (SARF) provides the best possible animal care and assists investigators in fulfilling their obligation to plan and conduct animal research in accordance with the highest scientific, humane and ethical principles. SARF has a multizone temperature and airflow control to allow for various environments necessary to research projects. Daily care and feeding is provided by a trained staff, and surgery prep, surgical area, and a recovery area are available for use.

Technical Services:

• Animal husbandry by trained staff
• Individual Ventilated Cage (IVC) rack units for vertebrate animal housing
• Hood space with Hepa filter is available for research projects
• A community room for common-space sharing
• Surgical area with Pulseoximeter and scavenger system
• All projects considered for trial must have IACUC approved Animal Use Protocols (AUP)

About the Zebrafish Facility:

The Zebrafish Facility is located in Hitchner Hall and is outfitted with the Aquatic Habitats for Accelerated Bioresearch (AHAB) fish rearing system (Aquatic Habitats, Apopka, FL). This system is composed of five-foot wide, five-level, stainless steel racks using any combination of tank sizes (3 and 10 liter). Water input lines deliver UV-sterilized water to each tank through an independent valve. The fish tanks have self-cleaning bottoms and the effluent system features an optically clear design. The filter system requires minimal maintenance, and maintains high water quality, dramatically reduced disease and mortality.

Technical Services:

• Approximately 1200 total research tanks (3 and 10 liter), which permits facility capacity of more than 40,000 zebrafish
• 12 recirculating racks of tanks for genetics and development work
• 1 physically isolated flow through rack of tanks for quarantined disease and toxicology research
• Zebrafish shipping and receiving
• Line storage and maintenance
• Emboryo purchasing
• Research project consultation
• All projects considered for trail must have IACUC approved Animal Use Protocols (AUP)

Leadership

Alexis Rutherford
Small Animal Care Technician
207-581-4128
alexis.rutherford@maine.edu

Mark Nilan
Animal Care Facilities Lab Manager
207-581-3391
mark.nilan@maine.edu

Megan Tardif
Director, CORE
207-581-1225
megan.tardif@maine.edu

Julie Rutherford
Senior Fiscal Administrator, CORE
207-581-1118
julie.rutherford@maine.edu

 Michael Call
CORE Facilities Manager
207-581-3382
michael.call@maine.edu

Location and hours of operation

Links and Resources 

Contacts