The Central Animal Facility (CAF) of NIPER-A is a state-of-the-art facility spread over approximately 2,800 square feet, with nearly 50% of the area dedicated to animal care and behavioural studies. The animal house facility is registered with the Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA) under Registration No. 1945/GO/ReRcBi/S/17/CCSEA for research for educational purposes, research for commercial purposes, and breeding of small laboratory animals for in-house use.
The CAF has a housing capacity of approximately 2,500 laboratory animals. The rat strains maintained at the facility include Wistar and Sprague Dawley, while the mouse strains include BALB/c, Swiss albino, ICR, and C57BL/6. The facility is also equipped with Individually Ventilated Cages (IVCs) for rats and mice, procured from Allentown, USA, to provide enhanced environmental control and animal welfare.
The CAF follows a two-way corridor system, designed to minimize the risk of cross-contamination and facilitate efficient facility operations. Daily cleaning and disinfection of animal rooms, quarantine areas, corridors, and other facility areas are carried out as per established procedures. Particular attention is given to personal hygiene and sanitation. Animal care supplies, including water bottles, cages, and bedding materials, are regularly cleaned and sterilized.
Periodic health monitoring of laboratory animals is conducted to ensure their health and welfare. The facility provides full-time veterinary care for the routine care, health monitoring, and maintenance of laboratory animals. Biomedical waste is segregated, handled, and disposed of in accordance with applicable guidelines and institutional procedures. The entire CAF is monitored through 24-hour continuous CCTV surveillance to ensure appropriate security and operational oversight.
Animals are maintained under controlled environmental conditions, including a temperature of approximately 23 ± 3°C, relative humidity of 30–70%, and a 12:12-hour light–dark cycle. Animal rooms are provided with 100% fresh-air exchange. Appropriate macro- and micro-environmental conditions are maintained to support the health, welfare, and normal behavioural development of laboratory animals.
The facility supports the development and maintenance of various experimental animal models, including models of stroke, Parkinson’s disease (PD), traumatic central nervous system (CNS) injuries, diabetes, and cancer. The Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) periodically reviews and approves research proposals involving laboratory animals submitted by investigators from various departments of the Institute, in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements.
The NIPER-A Central Animal Facility also provides laboratory animal research services to academic and industrial organizations and conducts training programmes and field workshops on laboratory animal handling, care, and related practices. These activities support the promotion of responsible, ethical, and scientifically appropriate use of laboratory animals in biomedical research.