Facilities

Laboratories

The West Laboratory consists of three laboratory spaces including the Cell and Molecular Biology LaboratoryMotor Function Laboratory, and the Cognitive Assessment LaboratoryThe combined laboratory space is over 3,200 sq. ft. located in the Edgar L. Rhodes Animal and Dairy Science Department at the University of Georgia.

The Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility and modern equipment that can support various types of cell culture including induced pluripotent stem cells, embryonic stem cells, neural stem cells, and mesenchymal stem cells. We also have the necessary equipment for nucleic acid extraction, PCR, RT-PCR, RNA sequencing, immunocytochemistry, immunohistochemistry, ELISAs, and many other standardized molecular and cellular assays.

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The Large Animal Research Facility is a restricted access, PHS/AAALAC approved, USDA registered facility. This continuously monitored facility is capable of housing up to one hundred and fifty pigs ranging from newborns to sexually mature adults. Pigs can be individually or group housed in large enclosures that are compliant with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. All pigs are provided with daily environmental enrichment to improve their well-being. The humidity, day and night schedule, ventilation, and room temperature are maintained at optimal settings for pigs. Feeding, water provision, sanitation, and twice daily health evaluations are provided by trained staff and documented in facility’s standard operating procedures. The University of Georgia’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee reviews and approves all animal use protocols to ensure animals receive the highest standard of humane care. 

This facility also has a fully equipped sterile surgical suite for research purposes. The research surgery facility encompasses approximately 1,500 sq. ft. and is equipped to carry out complex surgical and interventional research in large animal models. Specifically, there is a dedicated 400 sq. ft. operating room, along with extensive dedicated areas for preoperative preparation, anesthetic induction, intra- and post-operative monitoring, and post-operative recovery. Veterinary and research staff are equipped with clinically relevant monitoring equipment with central gas sources and scavenging systems. A specialized laboratory located directly adjacent to the surgery suite provides supplemental resources for cell-based and co-culture research.

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The Motor Function Laboratory boasts a quadruped gait analysis system, GAIT4Dog®, that is modeled after the human GAITRite® walkway system. The 23,040 active sensors within the GAIT4Dog® mat combined with a 30fps HD camera enables automated collection and analysis of quantitative gait data using GaitFour® software. The Motor Function Laboratory quantitatively assesses changes in spatiotemporal gait parameters such as velocity (cm/sec), cadence (steps/min), stride length (the distance between successive ground contact of the same hoof), swing percent of cycle (the percent of a full gait cycle in which a limb is not in contact with the ground), cycle time (the amount of time for a full stride cycle), and swing time (the amount of time a limb is not in contact with the ground) as well as kinetic parameters such as mean pressure (the amount of pressure exerted by a limb).

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The Cognitive Assessment Laboratory utilizes multiple behavior tests to assess changes in learning, memory, and behavior. The open field test is utilized to quantify normal (e.g. exploration) and abnormal (e.g. anxiety, depression) behaviors. The novel object recognition test is utilized to assess spontaneous trial-unique object memory, which is comparable to episodic memory in humans that involves memory of spontaneous events and not necessarily of learned tasks. The spatial plus T-maze test is used to assess the ability of pigs to form allocentric, hippocampal-dependent spatial memories. The 3 chamber social recognition test is used to measure changes in sociability behaviors and social memory formation. All tests are recorded using a monochrome infrared, high-sensitivity GigE camera (60 frames/sec) on a dedicated Dell Precision T5810 workstation. Ethovision XT software (Noldus), the most widely applied video tracking software, enables automated tracking and analysis to obtain objective and quantifiable measures of behavioral characteristics.

MRI

The Bioimaging Research Center (BIRC) at UGA is a multi-imaging research suite designed to provide a full range of biological tissue imaging technologies to multiple biomedical investigators in programs across the UGA campus, their students, and other researchers.

  • We have recently used this facility to show that we can successfully transplant human iNSCs and track these superparamagnetic iron oxide particle labeled cells using MRI in the pig model.
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UGA Vet School

Our lab partners with the University Veterinary School Departments of Neurosurgery and Pathology. The close proximity of these facilities makes collaboration ideal.

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