Conditions of Use

1) Access

    To have access to the platform

• You need to have your university card activated for the behavioral platform.
• To reserve one or more of the rooms you must fill this access demand: don't forget  your "Module 1 Animal Experimentation Attestation" in attachment

• Access to the different rooms will depend on your needs (for example the surgery room and/or behavioral room(s).
•  Your access is temporary. No access will be delivered without a reservation.
•  Access can be refused at any moment: in case of any disturbances, by disrespecting the rules, or by disregarding your animals’ welfare (after you receive an initial warning).

2) Animal Care

    All those performing experiments must take care of their own animals—making sure water and food is provided regularly, adding notifications on cages when needed (i.e. food restriction), changing dirty cages, or euthanizing  any animals in distress. Please  be sure to know how to take care of any of these procedures. No matings are allowed and no mothers with pups are allowed in any of the behavioral platform rooms.

3) Room conditions

•       For the use of everyone,  the rooms must be cleaned after each use so that they are left as when found.. Cleaning materials are available in each room.
•      The light/dark cycle is automatically controlled in all the rooms.  Light in rooms 1316, 1318, and 1320 will be on from 7.00 to 19.00. Room 1322 is divided in two: the front partition (for behavioral tests) will also have the lights on from 7.00 to 19.00, whereas the back partition (which contains home cages) will be on a reverse light/dark cycle (lights on from 19.00 to 7.00).
•      Light switches in each room are always positioned on "AUT" for keeping the light/dark cycle automatically controlled. The other positions of the switch are « 0 » for the light off, and « 1 » for light exposure all the time (both of which turn off the automatic control of the light/dark cycle). Do not forget to put the switch back on "AUT" if you need to use another kind of light exposure (i.e. red light, low white light, bright light, etc...).
•     Rooms 1318 and 1320 contain another set of lights besides the main room lights. During your experiment you can press the circular button next to the room light switch to turn on spot lights.  Also, by turning the button these spot lights are adjustable in intensity. Please switch this set of lights off at the end of your experiment.
•       If you need to enter the back partition of room 1322 during the night phase (7.00 to 19.00), you must use the "red light/low light lamp" button on the bench in the front partition of the room.

    4) Contacts

•        Please directly contact the Platform Manager if you have any questions, suggestions to improve the use of the rooms for everyone., or technical problems.

In case serious technical problems (electrical disturbances, water leaks, ventilation problems, etc.), immediately stop your experiment and contact the Platform Manager.

•       To buy new tools, write a short explanation to the Platform Manager of why they may be needed and the request will be passed along to the Academic supervisor.

    5) Tranporting Animals to and from the Platform

 Because of corridors and elevators that are shared with the public please avoid bringing or taking animals from the platform rooms during rush hours. If possible, cover cages while transporting the animals or use a trolley that conceals them.

    6) Technical tools

 Users can use their own tools in the Surgery Room as long as they are respecting biosecurity standards.  Use of the Any-maze software and any kind of other behavioral tools is under the responsibility of each user.