Products & Services

Colony Management & Breeding Services

The Biocytogen Animal Center provides state-of-the-art breeding and colony management services across multiple locations, ensuring a reliable supply of high-quality research animals. With advanced cryopreservation, rederivation, and biosecurity measures, we help maintain genetic integrity and support efficient strain propagation.

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  • 2,500+
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  • Introduction
  • What We Can Help
  • Embryology Services for Research Animals
  • Sperm & Embryo Cryopreservation Services
  • Cryorecovery Services
  • Rederivation Services

Publication

    Introduction

    The Biocytogen Animal Center, with locations in Haimen, Beijing, and Boston, features SPF-grade animal facilities spanning over 55,000 square meters and accommodating more than 150,000 cages. Equipped with state-of-the-art hardware and software, the center offers a comprehensive range of animal strains and adheres to stringent production standards to ensure consistent and large-scale supply. Additionally, the Animal Center is adept at implementing complex, efficient breeding schemes tailored to clients' needs for breeding and colony management, supporting the successful propagation of endangered strains facing challenges such as aging and infertility.

    Biocytogen provides comprehensive colony management solutions for rats and mice, including dedicated project oversight, animal care, veterinary consulting, technician responsibilities, health monitoring, and more. Our experienced team develops customized breeding strategies and provides expert advice to ensure the timely delivery of study-ready animals tailored to your research needs.

    What We Can Help

    At Biocytogen, we provide solutions to effectively address common challenges in colony management:

    1. Supporting Capacity and Facility Needs

    Our housing and breeding services are designed to seamlessly support your operations, whether your facility is relocating, undergoing upgrades, facing space constraints or staffing shortages, or requiring an alternative site for quarantine.

    2. Expert Guidance for Breeding, Welfare, and Genetic Integrity

    Our team of experienced professionals delivers exceptional support in embryology, genotyping, and veterinary consulting to ensure optimal outcomes for your colonies.

    3. Health Status and Biosecurity Assurance

    With rigorous biosecurity protocols in place, we guarantee the health and genetic integrity of your colonies.

    4. Comprehensive Colony Oversight Services

    Our dedicated project managers serve as your single point of contact, expertly handling the daily intricacies of colony management and enabling you to focus entirely on your research priorities.

    Service Description Requirements Deliverables Timetable
    Breeding and colony management
    • 3–5 fertile male mice (10–20 weeks old)
    • Genotyping protocol
    • Health reports within 3 months
    • Genotypes aligned with client specifications
    • SPF mice verified as negative in 53 microbiological tests
    Project-dependent
    Embryology Services for Research Animals

    Embryology services offer an effective solution for preserving strains that are not currently in use but may be needed in the future, ensuring the long-term availability of both single-target and multi-target genetically modified mice. These services also help mitigate risks associated with viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections, protecting the integrity of your research efforts.

    Cryopreservation

    Preserve live animal colonies as a backup or store lines that are not currently in active use.

    Cryorecovery

    Recover cryopreserved stocks in as little as 8–10 weeks

    Rederivation

    Remove contaminants such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites from mouse populations.

    Sperm & Embryo Cryopreservation Services
    1. Sperm Cryopreservation

    Our sperm cryopreservation protocol offers a reliable and cost-effective solution for preserving single-gene mutations and inbred strains, particularly for gene-edited animal models. At the Biocytogen Animal Center, we consistently deliver exceptional outcomes, with fertilization rates for thawed C57BL/6 mouse sperm surpassing 40% and often achieving even greater success.

    2. Embryo Cryopreservation

    For mouse and rat strains featuring multiple gene mutations or distinct genetic backgrounds, our embryo cryopreservation service offers optimal preservation capabilities. We enable rapid cryopreservation of gene-edited embryos through methods such as superovulation, in vitro fertilization, or natural mating followed by oviduct flushing. This approach significantly lowers colony maintenance costs while minimizing genetic drift in fertile mouse and rat populations.

    Biocytogen minimizes the risk of losing conserved animal models by operating two separate facilities equipped with liquid nitrogen storage tanks. To ensure the safety of cryopreserved rat and mouse embryos and sperm, tank temperatures and liquid nitrogen levels are monitored weekly, guaranteeing a consistent nitrogen supply.

    Service Description Requirements Deliverables Timetable
    Sperm cryopreservation
    • 3–5 fertile male animals (10–20 weeks old)
    • Genotyping protocol
    • Health reports within 3 months
    • 20 straws/project
    • Quality control before and after cryorecovery
    6–8 weeks
    Embryo cryopreservation
    • Heterozygous: 3–5 fertile male animals (10–20 weeks old)
    • Homozygous: 3–5 fertile male animals (10–20 weeks old) and ≥ 25 female animals (4–12 weeks old)
    • Genotyping protocol
    • Health reports within 3 months 
    • 300 embryos/project
    • 30 additional embryos for recovery testing at no extra cost
    6–8 weeks
    Cryorecovery Services
    Service Description Requirements Deliverables Timetable
    Embryo cryorecovery A minimum of 30 to 50 viable embryos.
    • At least 3–5 offspring*
    • SPF mice verified as negative in 53 microbiological tests
    8–10 weeks
    Sperm cryorecovery 2 sperm straws
    • At least 10 offspring*
    • SPF mice verified as negative in 53 microbiological tests
    8–10 weeks

    * We guarantee successful recovery only for strains cryopreserved and stored by Biocytogen. Offspring derived from lines cryopreserved or stored by other sources are not covered under this guarantee.

    Rederivation Services

    Mice used in scientific research are susceptible to environmental pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can compromise colony health and lead to abnormalities. To address this challenge, the Biocytogen Animal Center has established an advanced embryonic biotechnology platform to rederive mouse colonies, ensuring they meet specific pathogen-free (SPF) or higher-grade standards. This is achieved through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer techniques and by housing animals in secure barrier or isolation environments to maintain their health status.

    Service Description Requirements Deliverables Timetable
    Rederivation
    • 3–5 fertile male mice (10–20 weeks old)
    • Genotyping protocol
    • Health reports within 3 months 
    • A minimum of 10 offspring or 2 male/female breeding pairs
    • SPF mice verified as negative in 53 microbiological tests
    8–10 weeks

    Rapid expansion employs advanced in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques to efficiently produce large numbers of mice, enabling the rapid establishment of robust rodent colonies. This method significantly increases breeding output, providing researchers with quicker access to genetically diverse animals. By accelerating colony development and enhancing genetic variability, this approach ensures reliable and applicable research results.

    Service Description Requirements Deliverables Timetable
    Rapid expansion
    • 3–5 fertile male mice (10–20 weeks old)
    • Genotyping protocol
    • Health reports within 3 months
    • Genotypes aligned with client specifications
    • SPF mice verified as negative in 53 microbiological tests
    Project-dependent