Departments

Head

Tania Sorg

Missions

The Phenotyping department provides comprehensive, standardized or advanced, customized characterization of gene function in mouse models. We offer state-of-the-art services, consultancy and equipment for identification of anatomical, physiological, and behavioral phenotypes. We help our clients better understand the function of genes, basic mechanisms of biology, pathophysiology of diseases, to identify and validate new drug targets and to perform risk assessment in drug development. Currently, the department consists in 24 experienced biologists (8 PhDs and 16 technicians/engineers) within 6 cooperating disciplines for superior clinical characterization.

Services

What's wrong with my mice ?

Exemples of comprehensive standardized first line protocols

Strategy of systematic pathological analysis

For meaningful scientific interpretation of histopathological data through analysis of large cohorts of mice, we recommend, 24 mice per age group (i.e., number used in systematic clinical tests). However, as it takes several hours of technician time to collect, process and stain the tissues of a single mouse, economical aspects must be taken into account. Hence, we commonly recommend the following as a more economical phenotyping strategy:

Step 1. Each age group is subdivided into two subgroups. Mice from subgroup A are subjected to systematic macroscopic and microscopic analyses. Mice from subgroup B are subjected to systematic necropsy and to targeted histological evaluation.
Step 2. A preliminary histopathology report is made available 5 weeks after necropsy.
Step 3. Depending on the histological findings, a second round of targeted histological analyses of subgroup B mice may be undertaken with the objective of increasing the statistical significance of the observations.

Proposed flow scheme

Strategy of first-line blood analysis

ICS proposes a first-line panel of blood analyses in order to give first insights into clinical chemistry, hematology and endocrinology. This provides clients a rapid and economical first insight regarding general health and potential aberrant pathways for their mouse model.

We recommend use of 9 mice/group/gender. All mice should be housed and handled under the same conditions.t is recommended to use 9 mice/group/gender. All the mice must be housed and handle within the same conditions.
The analyses are generally performed on adult mice, up to 12 weeks of age, withthe same age +/- 2 weeks.
The recommendation is to fast the mice for 4 hoursprior to blood collection.
Blood can be collected from various routes: retro-orbital puncture, jugular vein, sub-mandibular or tail bleeding. Intra cardiac puncture can also be used as a terminal procedure.lood could be collected by different way: retro-orbital puncture, jugular vein,sub-mandibular or tail bleeding. Intra cardiac puncture could be used as a terminal procedure.

See parameters

Exemples of first-line phenotyping analysis

Broad general phenotyping (Metabolism, cardiology, bone...) through EMPReSS program

Broad general phenotyping (Behavior, CNS, sensory system...) through EMPReSS program

Embryonic and adult phenotyping through the IMPReSS program

The IMPC (International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium) core pipeline describes the phenotyping parameters that have been set by the participating institutions. This pipeline provides a broad and unbiased evaluation of mutant phenotypes and is freely available to the research community. Updates on the progress of this are available through IMPReSS.

The IMPC Pipeline

Specialized phenotyping approaches

Disease focused approach

Metabolism
Nephrology
Cardiovascular
Respiratory
Inflammation
Psychiatry
Neurology
Development and growth