Support Facilities

The Animal facility at IBBTEC is integrated within the SEEA (Animal stalling and experimentation service) of the University of Cantabria (UC), as a scientific and technical support service for research, whose purpose is to provide legal coverage and basic support to the quality scientific research that requires the use of animals as an experimental model, forming part of the high-performance infrastructures made available to the scientific community. 

It is a unique establishment at the regional level, adapted to work with rat and mouse in IVC conditions (Individually Ventilated Cages), and with a health status defined as SPF (Specific Pathogen Free) According to the recommendations of Felaa (Federation of Laboratory Animal Science associations). The SPF standard is indicative of a high degree of refinement and specialization in the management of the animal laboratory, associated with state-of-the-art biomedical research and synonymous with quality results. 

It has two independent working zones (both under barrier), one for breeding and maintenance of lines and another for experimentation. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes that security and, in particular, biological security are important issues of international concern. WHO classifies research laboratories in 4 levels, depending on the different risk groups of the pathogens with which they work: basic laboratory – Biosafety level 1; Basic Laboratory – Biosafety level 2; Containment Laboratory – Biosafety level 3, and maximum containment laboratory – biosafety level 4.

All diagnostic and health care laboratories (public health, clinical or hospital) must be designed to meet at least the Biosafety level 2 requirements, while the containment laboratory, biosafety level 3, is conceived and installed to work with microorganisms of the risk group 3, as well as with large volumes or concentrations of microorganisms of the risk group 2, for entailing an increased risk of diffusion of aerosols. 

The IBBTEC has in its facilities Two Level 2 Biosafety labs, as well as of A Level 3 biosafety lab, which allow them to undertake research projects involving the management of a broad spectrum of pathogens under controlled safety conditions. 

The selective labelling of biomolecules through the use of radioactive isotopes is a very useful tool in the field of basic research in biomedicine, molecular biology and biotechnology.

The use of this technology allows to carry out, among others, studies of quantification of the gene expression, cellular proliferation, marking of proteins, enzymatic activity or immunoassay techniques.

The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Cantabria has a radioactive installation of 2nd category, 985-S, of which 2 laboratories and a central warehouse of radioactive waste are located in the IBBTEC. This installation is authorized by the CSN for the use of non-encapsulated sources of radiation for research purposes, allowing the use of radionuclides as: ³²P, ³³P, ³⁵S, ³H ¹⁴C, ¹²⁵I, ⁵⁵Fe, ⁵¹Cr and ¹³¹I.

Its objective is to offer the authorized scientific community access to this technology with the maximum guarantees of safety and protection, both for the personnel as for the facilities and the environment, and always in accordance with the established legal norms.