PTSV
The Life Sciences technology platform at the University of Namur offers quality services for the housing and care of animals used in experimental research. With a total surface area of 1,180 m², it comprises two distinct areas: conventional and SPF (Specific Pathogen Free).
Standardized and rigorous operating procedures guarantee the quality of research and animal welfare.
Expertise and team
The platform is run by a multidisciplinary team made up of:
- a logistician specialized in research
- a veterinarian specialized in animal welfare
- four bio-technicians in animal health
- under the supervision of an academic veterinarian
Services include:
- colony management
- health and behavioral assessment
- anesthesia, medical imaging, surgery, biopsy, therapeutic interventions
- embryo and sperm cryopreservation
- analyses (hematology, biochemistry)
- autopsy and tissue collection
Infrastructure and equipment
Conventional zone
- Capacity: 2,020 cages for mice and 235 for rats
- 5 housing and procedure rooms with equipped laboratories
- 1 nanoparticle unit
- 1 room for handling toxic substances
- 1 fully equipped operating theater
- Metabolic cages and storage areas
SPF zone
- Capacity: 1,680 mouse cages
- Quarantine unit with airlock and transfer cabinet
- 4 accommodation and procedure rooms
- Chemical laboratory with airlock and biological safety hood
- Operating suite and imaging section
- Storage spaces
Shared zone
- Wash cabinet, double-entry autoclave
- Reverse osmosis water filtration system
- Filling systems (bottles, litter)
- Refrigerated cabinets and CO₂ euthanasia devices
Security
- Strictly controlled access and 24-hour surveillance
- Possible sterilization by hydrogen peroxide vapor
Advanced technology
The platform features PhotonIMAGER OPTIMA (Biospace Lab), a real-time in vivo imaging system combining bioluminescence, fluorescence and X-rays.
Applications: oncology, neuroscience, stem cell biology, virology, pharmacology.
Capacity: simultaneous imaging of 5 animals, enabling high-throughput monitoring (disease progression, infections, etc.).