Rodent Gnotobiotic Facility

Overview

The Rodent Gnotobiotic Facility (RGF) offers germ-free mouse production for research projects at Illinois. Housed at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, the RGF is a one-room area managed and staffed by the Division of Animal Resources. The facility has two large flexible-film isolators; four smaller isolators; a rack with 48 sealed, positive pressure individually ventilated cages; and a biosafety cabinet. Per diem and service charges have been established for researchers. There are breeding colonies of germ-free Swiss Webster mice, and there will be rederivation of C57 Black mice to create germ-free colonies of that strain for experimental use.

RGF Service Request Form

Facilities

  • Large isolaters: Two large isolators with an 18-cage capacity that are reserved for breeding.
  • Small isolators: Four small isolators with a five-cage capacity devoted to germ-free rederivations for smaller, longer-term research projects.
  • IVC rack and biosafety cabinet: The IVC rack features sealed, positive pressure individually ventilated cages (IVC) with a 48-cage capacity. The majority of the research projects are conducted in IVCs.

Pilot Project Grant Program

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation has provided funding to support short-term research projects with the goal of generating preliminary data for extramural grant applications. Selected research projects will be awarded up to $5,000. Funding can be requested to utilize existing germ-free mice (Swiss-Webster and C57Bl/6) or to rederive a conventional mouse line to germ-free. If funded, an animal use protocol must be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee prior to initiating animal studies. Please consult with the Division of Animal Resources (daradministrators@mx.uillinois.edu) regarding preparation of the animal protocol.

Eligibility

All Illinois faculty and researchers are eligible to apply. Applications will be evaluated by the Advisory Committee and will be ranked based on scientific merit and potential for garnering extramural funding.

Deadline

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, however, for best consideration, please submit your application by the 15th of each month. This will enable the Division of Animal Resources to anticipate the demand for germ-free and gnotobiotic mice and space in the facility.

To Apply

Those interested in applying for the small grants should download and submit and Application Form and a Budget FormNote: The cells will expand, but please limit that application to three pages (Arial 11 point font). Upload this form along with the estimated Budget (Excel spreadsheet) and your CV or Biosketch using the link below. 

Submit forms here.

Services and Pricing

The per diem charges below are daily, for example the cost of housing mice in one sealed, positive pressure individually ventilated cage (SPP-IVC) is $5.86 per day. The large isolators are used for breeding mice and are not available for researcher use. The charge for port access is determined by our staff (i.e., how often access is necessary to change a cage, provide food, provide water, wean pups, etc.). This is not an everyday occurrence and depends on the nature of the project. Finally, the hourly labor charge is for technician assistance with certain experimental procedures.

Per Diem

Service Charge
Large isolator $43.56
Small isolator $35.62
SPP IVC $6.50

Service Charge

Service Charge
Isolator setup $700
Port access $30
GF mouse $75
Hourly labor $25

Advisory Committee

Committee Members

Ex-Officio

Contact Us

Fuming Pan
Director
217-244-0649
fpan@illinois.edu

Jaclyn Ahasic
Animal Care Specialist
217-300-1578
jahasic@illinois.edu

EJ Eastin
Lab Animal Care Coordinator
217-300-3419
eastin@illinois.edu

Juqin Wang
Research Specialist
217-244-0668
juwang@illinois.edu