The Animal Resources Facility (ARF), established in 1962 is considered a core supplier of Laboratory animals in Bangladesh. ARF is a national asset and heart of the scientific breeding station for upstream research in the area of health sciences throughout Bangladesh. icddr,b’s Animal Resources Facility (ARF) is the premier and only such animal facility in Bangladesh with certification from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA. Animal welfare and ethics are of the topmost priority according to icddr,b and country health requirements.

ARF is well versed in the latest technology and capable of meeting global research technology and research challenges.  ARF provides technical, veterinary and training support for all teaching and research programs that utilise laboratory animals and also provides services to different pharmaceuticals for testing their medicinal product on animal models.

 

Facility Objectives:

• Creating an in vivo scientific research environment.
• Providing humane husbandry and veterinary care for research animals.
• Facilitating essential animal-based research with an emphasis on ethics, communication and safety.
• Participating with investigators in the development of animal-based research.
• Promoting instructive open doors for staff, understudies, and scientists.
• Using different types of animal models to test new drugs, to assure their safety, efficacy, and potency before moving into the clinical phase.

Importance of Animal Resources Facility (ARF):

The use of animals in research, education and testing is an essential component for the advancement of our understanding about human and animal functions. This knowledge is important for advancing human and animal health and welfare through disease prevention and cures, new treatments, and drug and device development.

The scientific community understands that using animals is a privilege entrusted by society, and remains committed to ensuring the health and welfare of animals as an integral consideration.

Animal research and animal research facilities are critical to the biomedical research enterprise. Animal species are used in every stage of the research and development effort-from discovery, to development and safety testing, clinical trials, and manufacturing. This is because the biological systems, genetic structures, and immunological responses of animals, in various ways, closely mirror humans as a species. The animal research facility, also known as the vivarium, is a specially designed building type, which accommodates exquisitely controlled environments for the care and maintenance of experimental animals. Animal research facilities are related to but different from research laboratories. The facilities are complex and expensive to build and operate, but they are vital to the support of a proper, safe, and humane research effort.

ARF provided services:

1. Focusing on the health monitoring of laboratory animals for biomedical research. This includes studies on the effects of health and health monitoring in toxicology studies, oncology studies, and pharmacologic studies.
2. Dealing with the genetic monitoring of laboratory animals, and examining the causes of genetic alternation in laboratory animals and ways to prevent them.
3. Considering environmental monitoring which is necessary for research on laboratory animals.
4. Quality control aspects of animal experimentation.

Potency test of Rabies vaccine

Potency test of TT vaccine

EPO bioassay

Parallel line model analysis of EPO bio-assay

Ascites (MAb) production through Balb/c mice model

Pyrogen test on Rabbit model

Anti-sera raising in Rabbit

Abnormal toxicity test in guinea pig and mice model

Specific toxicity test

LD50 determination in mice model

Rabbit serum

Guinea pig serum

Different research animal and blood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other than icddr,b, following types of organisations are benefitted from this facility:

• Pharmaceuticals companies
• Public & Private Universities of the country
• Different types of Govt. organisations of the country
• Hospitals and Clinics in the Dhaka city
• Public and Private Medical colleges
• Providing Onsite Training Program on Laboratory Animal Science to students of different Universities, Pharma companies and Research organisations

Sheep Colony 

Contact:

Animal Resources Facility, icddr,b

NIH certified animal facility

Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.

+88029827053, +8801709651488

 paul@icddrb.org; rahul.sarker@icddrb.org