BB521: Experimental animal physiology (5 ECTS)

STADS: 04012301

Level
Bachelor course

Teaching period
The course is offered in the autumn semester.

Teacher responsible
Email: steffen@biology.sdu.dk

Additional teachers
morten.kobaek.larsen@rsyd.dk

Timetable
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Prerequisites:
None

Academic preconditions:
Students who attend the course are expected to:

• Have prior knowledge of Zoophysiology
• Be able to use basic laboratory equipment.

It is recommended to have passed the course in Zoophysiology.

Course introduction


Expected learning outcome
The learning objectives of the course are that the student demonstrates the ability to:

• assess and explain the fundamental ethical, legal and practical principles included in the planning and execution of experimental work with laboratory animals.
• assist in experimental animal studies that fall under the Animal Act and led by a holder of a license to animal testing.
• handle, anaesthetize and euthanize experimental animals (rodents, fish and amphibians)
• plan and carry out exposure/injection experiments with fish
• perform independent laboratory work involving: sampling, processing of samples, selected modern biotechnological analytical methods, statistical analyses and reporting the data

Subject overview
The course includes the following topics:

• Legislation and ethical aspects of animal experimentation: National and international legislation and ethical considerations related to animal experimentation (1½ lecture).
• Animal models, experimental design and alternative models:  Animal models in general. The "Three R's". Guidelines regarding housing and care of animals. Planning of experiments (experimental design and statistics). Using cell cultures and other alternatives (1½ lecture).
• Animal welfare: Normal behavior. Stress behavior. Housing, care,  enrichment of the environment, etc. (1 lecture)
• Nutrition: Nutritional requirements. Feed Types, feeding quantities and intervals, etc. (1 lecture).
• Anesthesia, analgesia and euthanasia: Types of anesthetics in different classes of vertebrates. Practical aspects of euthanasia. Degrees of anesthesia. Surgery. Postoperative treatment. Pain treatment. Methods for euthanasia in different vertebrates (2 lectures)
• Mice, rats and other mammals as animal models: Handling of mice and rats. Laboratory animal genetics. Health status. Sampling. Surgery. Analgesia. Anesthesia etc. (2 lectures)
• Fish as experimental animals: Fish as models in biological research - August Krogh principle and specific examples of fish models. Transport and housing. Aquarium types. Water quality and critical water parameters. Disease prevention and treatment. Pain and stress in fish. Handling. Anesthesia. Sampling, injections or surgical techniques (in particular catheter insertion). Euthanasia. (2 lectures)
• Amphibians and reptiles as experimental animals: Use of amphibians and reptiles in biological research. Housing and nutrition. Handling. Sampling, injections and surgical techniques. Euthanasia. (1 lecture)
• Toxicological and ecotoxicological experiments: trials. Exposure to sublethal concentrations. Considerations for ecotoxicological studies with fish and other animals. (1 lecture)
• In addition, it provides in connection with the introduction to the practical project introduction to statistical methods. (2 hours)

Individual training exercises:

• Frogs: Handling, anesthesia, dissection - including the production of muscle - nerve preparation. (2 hours)
• Mammals: practical handling of rodents ( 3 hours)

Project (30 hours mini team):

• Planning and exposure/injection of fish to xenobiotics/hormones /salinity changes
• anesthesia, blood and tissue sampling
• analysis of two selected biochemical/molecular biological response parameters using RNA - protein techniques (eg . ELISA , real- time PCR , immunoblotting / histochemistry , enzyme assays ) .
• statistical data processing, presentation and written reports

Literature

Kompendium og særtryk

Website
This course uses e-learn (blackboard).

Prerequisites for participating in the exam
Participation in laboratory exercises is a prerequisite for exam a (project report). Pass/fail, internal marking by teacher.

Assessment and marking:

1. Approval of project report. Pass/fail, internal marking by teacher. 0 ECTS
2. Written exam. Internal marking, Danish 7-mark scale. Allowed exam aids: Compendium, laboratory manual, notes, teachers' powerpoints, and computer without access to the internet. 5 ECTS

The mode of exam at the re-examination may differ from the mode of exam at the ordinary exam.

Expected working hours
The teaching method is based on three phase model.
Intro phase: 15 hours
Skills training phase: 35 hours, hereof:
 - Tutorials: 5 hours
 - Laboratory exercises: 30 hours

Educational activities

Educational form
Activities during the study phase:

• Compilation of the log book concerning the laboratory project.
• Statistical calculations.
• Preparation and presentation of the laboratory project.

The students are introduced to the theoretical and practical aspects of working with laboratory animals in the intro phase (weekly lectures) and train their practical skills (handling, anaesthesia, euthanasia and sampling) through a series of laboratory exercises and projects with different animal species.

Language
This course is taught in Danish.

Course enrollment
See deadline of enrolment.

Tuition fees for single courses
See fees for single courses.