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Technical Services and Colony Management

Technical Services Unit & Colony Management

Technical Services Unit (TSU)

The Department of Comparative Medicine – Technical Services Unit (TSU) is an on-campus resource that provides a wide range of skills and capabilities. Our veterinary team and trained technicians support investigators in achieving their animal research goals for a standardized hourly rate.

We offer expertise across species housed on campus. Common procedures include (not exhaustive):

  • Blood collections from multiple sources (all species)
  • Tattooing (tattoo kit or DCM lab stamp) and other identification
  • Tail vein injections
  • Gavage procedures
  • XRAD and IVIS use and assistance
  • Stereotaxic-related procedures
  • Necropsy and tissue collection
  • Indwelling IV catheter support
  • IP injections
  • Assistance with animal experiments (incl. ABSL-3)
  • Protocol help: fasting, weighing, special checks, record keeping
  • Weekend assistance for study-related needs
  • In-house bloodwork (CBCs with 5-part differential)
  • In-house biochemistries *For rodent samples, whole blood in lithium heparin may be used for biochemistries in place of serum.
Policies & Scheduling
  • All work must be included in an approved Animal Use Protocol and follow IACUC standards (unless alternatives are explicitly approved).
  • Submit requests at least 24–48 hours in advance; complex procedures may require up to two weeks.
  • Work outside normal business hours may incur additional charges.

After submitting a request, please monitor your email for correspondence from the DCM-TSU team.

Questions? Email DCM-TSU@ouhsc.edu.

Request Technical Services (Online Form)

Colony Management Team (CMT)

The DCM-TSU Colony Management Team (CMT) provides expert management for maintenance, growth, and de novo breeding of transgenic rodent lines. In conjunction with Transnetyx Colony Software, the CMT offers the following services:

  • Record date of birth for new litters
  • ACCR and permanent cage card number updates
  • Animal identification
  • Weaning (weans)
  • Weanling support: hydrogel and/or 76A DietGel provided when necessary
  • Special health checks for smaller mice
  • Biopsy collection (ear punch standard; tail snips available if required)
  • Submission & shipment of tissue samples directly to Transnetyx
  • Culls
  • New breeder pairing
  • Timed mating / copulation plug checks
  • Pregnancy checks (manual palpation as early as E10 on request)
  • Recommendations to improve breeder reproduction & reduce pup loss
  • Transfer mice in/out of housing room in RBF for lab pick-up or DCM transport
  • Maintain animal census and cage location in Colony
  • Upload new mice and cage information into Colony

Request Colony Management Services (Online Form)