Animal Ordering & Transfers

To obtain animals for use in research at MGH, you must be listed on an approved animal experimentation protocol for your laboratory.

Once you are authorized to work on an IACUC approved protocol, you can access the Animal Bioware Procurement system directly by clicking here and logging in using your MGB domain account credentials(login ID/password).  If you would like training on how to use this system, please refer to the MGH CCM Animal Bioware Procurement Tutorial (see below) on HealthStream.

CCM Animal Bioware Procurement Tutorial
The CCM Animal Bioware Procurement Tutorial is offered online via HealthStream. You will be redirected to the HealthStream web site to login. Once logged in, click the “Catalog” tab and enter “MGH CCM Animal Bioware Procurement” in the search bar to locate this course. Next, click the link and then the button “Enroll in this course”. 

Cancellation/Changes Information:
An animal order can only be cancelled if it is 48 business hours or greater from the requested delivery date. Animal order quantity may only be lowered, and this may only happen if it is 48 business hours or greater from the requested delivery date. NCI order changes and cancellation must be submitted by 9am on Wednesdays for delivery the following week.

Additional cancellation fees may be charged by the vendor depending on their company policy.

As part of CCM’s census tracking, a summary capacity report is updated on a weekly basis that compares current occupancy against projected capacity for each animal room within the different animal facilities. These reports are available to the animal users as a reference for space availability and capacity status.  Please contact the individual facility manager if you have any questions regarding these reports.

CCM Capacity Reports
65 Landsdowne	Edwards-6Livestock Reservation Report
400 Technology Square	Simches-8
Building 114	Shriners
Building 149 8th floor	Thier Building
Building 149 9th floor	Building 149, Large Animal

Space for housing research animals is tracked and managed by the individual facility managers. This is generally done on a first-come/first serve basis. Every effort will be made to support your most urgent housing needs.  Please contact the appropriate facility manager for additional information on capacity and to discuss upcoming needs. 

The Livestock Reservation Report is now live. The spreadsheet’s primary purpose is to help users know when the facility has space to help them place an order.

Here are a few tips for navigating the report:

• Tabs at the bottom separate the animal rooms, and each pen is listed on the left-hand side of the sheet.
• Each pen can be reserved up to 20 times.
• The arrival and EOS dates for each order show when the pen is occupied.
• Each pen holds one pig up to 50kgs except four pens in room 608 that hold pigs up to 100kgs. Pigs over 51kgs up to 100kgs need two pens, and pigs over 101kgs need three pens.

Please contact Titi Lamidi if you have questions about placing an order. We are continually receiving orders and allocating them and there can be a lag between updating the reservation system and placing orders in Bioware, so you will always need to confirm that the space you see in the reservations is available.

CCM Red (Closed) Room Request Form

Based on feedback from the MGH Research Community, CCM has created a red room request form that will allow an investigator the ability to order animals into a room that is currently marked as closed (RED) on the capacity reports. Only cages euthanized by CCM can be reserved for incoming orders through this manual process. Further detailed instructions to the user will be provided once the form has been submitted.  Please note, this form may not be used for:

• Transfers
• Breeding Pairs
• Rush Orders
• Outbreak Rooms
• Holding Room
• Cryo Imports
• Standing Orders

Please note: CCM needs to euthanize the mice and replace with a clean, reserved cage to assure the space will be available for the incoming order. Due to varied shipping configurations from vendors, the number of cages to be euthanized must equal one extra cage for every five cages or fraction of five cages to be ordered. (For example: order 7 cages, euthanize at least 9 cages).

Approved Vendors
CCM maintains strong relationships with animal vendors and research service providers to help MGH researchers locate information and answer questions regarding animal model research. In addition, CCM continues to negotiate pricing whenever possible that can benefit not only CCM, but the entire MGH community. To view a list of our approved vendors, please click here. If you have any animal procurement questions or would like more information regarding our any of our vendors, please email us at ccmprocurement@partners.org

National Institute on Aging (NIA) Orders
Ordering Instructions:

1. Submit an animal order in Animal Bioware with all order specifications to the receiving facility.
2. Once the order’s status is allocated, go to the NIA website and follow instructions to submit your order directly with NIA.  Be sure to fill in the special instructions box with the PO number obtained from your online order submission. (Ex. CCM14140000)
3. Please include ccmprocurement@partners.org as an email contact on all NIA orders, in the contact field. If this is needed for another lab member, then include the Procurement email in the comments field.
4. For delivery address, use address of approved facility where animals are being housed.

MMRRC Strains Housed at Jackson Lab (denoted by “JAX” in the strain name)
Ordering Instructions:

1. Submit an animal order through the Animal Bioware website.
2. Once the order’s status is allocated, go to the MMRRC website and submit your order electronically.   Be sure to fill in the PO line with the PO number obtained from your online order submission.

MMRRC
Ordering Instructions:
UC Davis
University of Missouri
UNC, Chapel Hill

1. Fill out an Import Request form through the CCM Animal Transfer site here.
2. Once your import request is submitted, go to the MMRRC website and submit your order electronically. Be sure to fill in the PO line with the PO number obtained from your online order submission (example: CCMI#).

To obtain animals for use in research at MGH, you must be listed on an approved animal experimentation protocol for your laboratory. All animals entering or leaving MGH are managed by CCM staff and are not to be ordered or transported by researchers.

The Animal transfer form is for investigators requesting animals to:

• Change the housing location of the animals
• Change between MGH approved protocol numbers ONLY
• Change between MGH approved protocol number and housing location

CCM inter-facility transfers must be submitted by 10 am at least 2 business days prior to the desired delivery date. Please note, deliveries are done on every business day, except Tuesday. Transfers between CNY 149-8 & 149-9 are done daily, Monday-Friday. 

Examples: (except for transfers between CNY 149-8 & 149-9): 
Requests submitted Tuesday at 9:30 am will be delivered on Thursday
Requests submitted Tuesday at 2:45 pm will not be delivered until Friday

If you have any questions about any transfer, import, or export of animals, please contact ccmtie@partners.org

Non-Approved Vendor Import Process for SPF Animals
Animals from an approved MGH vendor can come directly into CCM facilities. Please check the list of approved vendors below in step 1. If you do not see your choice listed than please proceed to step 2. If you are requesting animals into an HPPF room, please contact MGH CCM TIE.

1.  Check MGH Approved Vendors here:There may be rooms/research rooms at ‘Approved Vendors’ that are not approved areas. This includes any rooms that house GEMS/experimental/non-production lines. You will be contact directly if your animal order is from a non-approved location.
2. Import SPF Animals:

• Approved IACUC protocol that allows for use of imported rodents and all planned experiments.
• Submit an online request form, completing all the requested information, including shipping institution facility and room number.
• When submitted, CCM will reach out to the sending institution for health documents for veterinary review.

MGH institutional requirements for receiving animals from external institutions are listed below. If any category cannot be met the importation will be declined for importation and alternative options will be presented.

1.  High quality husbandry standards
2. Negative health testing at the room level for the previous 12 months
3. Negative health history of the institution for the previous 6 months

Additional testing may be required by our veterinarian after review of the health documents. When items 1 – 3 are satisfactorily met, negative fur mite results from each animal to be shipped may be required.

3. If approved, CCM will coordinate shipping with sending facility and communicate receipt of animals with import contacts/facility staff.
4. Animals will be received into MGH CCM Quarantine room. Samples from animals are collected for additional health screening. If negative, then animals are approved for SPF housing by veterinarian. CCM quarantine is typically ~3-4 weeks.

During quarantine:

• Investigator staff are not allowed into the room
• No breeding or experimentation is allowed
• Animals must be separated by sex prior to shipment
• Breeding pairs or pregnant females are not accepted
• Special requests require veterinary approval

5. Once approved, CCM will coordinate transfer to requested SPF housing room. CCM may consult lab for optional room due to capacity issues.

Acute Use Imports

Animal imports may be used upon arrival if no housing is required (i.e. terminal experiments or procedures where the animals are euthanized and will not be in the lab for a period of time to exceed 12 hours). Longer time durations require IACUC approval. The same health standards are required as listed above (1-3).

Procedure:  Animals are received at the loading dock and delivered to CCM facility. CCM staff notifies the lab upon arrival. The lab picks up the animals and takes directly to the lab. These animals cannot be housed in any animal facility (including holding rooms) or be maintained in the laboratory greater than 12 hours.

MGH institutional requirements for receiving animals from external institutions are listed above (1-3). If any category cannot be met the importation will be declined for importation to MGH Quarantine and alternative options will be presented.

Possible Options for Declined Import

Veterinary approved options will be presented after review of health documents. These options may include:

1. Import can be reconsidered at a future date when sending institution can meet MGH institutional requirements (pending new quarterly sentinel testing results). Possible time delay of 3-6 months or longer.
2. Quarantine the animals at Charles River Labs (CRL). CRL will house the animals in an isolator and perform all the testing required by CCM. If the animals are found to be clean, they are transferred directly to a CCM housing room. The cost for this process varies by the number of cages and is done at the investigator’s expense. The time is 4-7 weeks. Further details and exact costs for a specific project can be obtained by CCM TIE.
3. Rederive the animals. If this is accomplished through a commercial vendor (Taconic, Charles River Labs, Jackson), the animals may be brought directly to a CCM housing room after review of final health status. If the rederivation is done by someone other than commercial vendors, the animals have to go through CCM Quarantine. Rederivation is done at the PI’s expense and takes several months due to the reproductive variability between lines.

CCM Transfer, Import and Export Contact (CCM TIE)
Tricia Lacefield, Animal Import/Export Specialist
ccmtie@mgh.harvard.edu
617-724-2720

MGH Import Veterinary Contact
Dr. Joanne Morris
jmorris6@mgh.harvard.edu
617-643-5365

Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) Requests
MTA’s might be required by Partners Healthcare for imports and exports. MTA’s are handled through the Partners Innovation Office. All submissions are made by the researcher through Insight in the Agreements tab. The Partners Innovation Office FAQ page link is below.

Partners Innovation FAQ’s: Link

IACUC Transportation of Animals Policy
Import and Export Requirement: Transportation of research animals and to and from other destinations outside MGH must be approved by the IACUC and CCM and performed with an approved vehicle or by another approved party. CCM only allows commercially approved couriers or delivery by institutional animal care departments. No personal vehicles or public transportation is allowed.

IACUC Import Policy

Lab Testing Costs:
If MGH lab is paying for required testing, CCM TIE will get a quote from an approved vendor and ask MGH lab to open a PO for these charges. CCM TIE will send the PO information to the sending institution.

Expedited Imports:
CCM has been working with local or high frequency institutions to expedite importation into MGH facilities. These include the institutions and accommodations listed below and are specific for the exact housing location if listed. Please contact MGH CCM TIE for more information.

Harvard University GMF – Gene Modification Core (BRI Building Pod 1 – Rooms A1111, A1102, A1114) Updated health reports are maintained by CCM on a rolling basis with a pre-approval unless there is a change in health status. No pre-testing is required.

Boston Childrens Hospital & Brigham & Women’s Hospital – Updated health reports are maintained by CCM on a rolling basis with a pre-approval unless there is a change in health status. Pre-testing is required (fur mite pre-testing).

Here is an overview of the export process for any animals currently housed at CCM.

Step 1 – Place green Export card (found in each CCM room) on each cage to be shipped. Use these export card numbers to fill out the Export Request Form. The cages will be shipped as-is, no breeding cages or pregnant animals are typically allowed to ship by receiving institutions.

Step 2 – Submit the Export Form. If transfer card numbers/number of animal(s) changes prior to shipping this is normal, notify ccmtie@partners.org. The contacts listed on the form will be copied on all correspondence.

Once received, CCM TIE will reach out to the receiving institution with health reports for veterinary review. If any additional forms need to be filled out, please send those along to ccmtie@partners.org to be completed and sent along with the health information. Upon veterinary approval, CCM TIE will coordinate shipping with the receiving institution.

Contacts
CCM Transfer, Import and Export (CCM TIE)
Tricia Lacefield, Animal Import/Export Specialist
ccmtie@partners.org
617-724-2720

MGH Import Veterinary Contact
Dr. Joanne Morris
jmorris6@mgh.harvard.edu
617-643-5365

Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) Requests
MTA’s might be required by Partners Healthcare for imports and exports. MTA’s are handled through the Partners Innovation Office. All submissions are made by the researcher through Insight in the Agreements tab. The Partners Innovation Office FAQ page link is below.

Partners Innovation FAQ’s

Testing
If requested, we can collect samples for any testing requested by the receiving institution. If an MGH lab is paying for required testing, CCM TIE can use a CCM PO for rodent testing at Charles River Labs and charge the sending protocol subsequently. If the receiving institution is paying, we will ask them for payment information for these charges. CCM TIE will coordinate with CCM Veterinary Services to get these samples collected and submitted.

IACUC Transportation of Animals Policy
Import and Export Requirement: Transportation of research animals and to and from other destinations outside MGH must be approved by the IACUC and CCM and performed with an approved vehicle or by another approved party. CCM only allows commercially approved couriers or delivery by institutional animal care departments. No personal vehicles or public transportation is allowed.

Crate Cost
MGH PI is responsible for crate costs for any exports. The protocol will be charged for these costs.

Timeline
Once approved, it takes 3-5 business day to set up shipping with the receiving institution for US shipments. It typically takes 3-4 weeks for international shipments depending on requirements for approvals with the US government (USDA signature is needed for most international exports).

Non-Naïve Animals
If a procedure has been completed on an animal to be shipped, please include that information on the form under ‘Special Instructions’ so the receiving institution is aware of the status upon arrival. Additional approval may be required to ship non-naïve US Regulated species.

Other species and tissue exports
CCM can assist with paperwork for non-traditional species as well as non-standard exports. Please contact CCMTIE for discussion. CCM does not facilitate exports of tissues, embryos, oocytes or sperm.

Transportation of Large Animals by CCM

To request transport by CCM of live CCM housed large animal(s) click here to fill out the request form. The transportation team will respond within 2 business days to schedule the request. If you have any questions about this form or the services offered, please contact the Transportation Team at MGHCCMTransportation@PARTNERS.ORG

Transportation of Equipment by CCM

To request transport by CCM of lab equipment click here to fill out the request form. The transportation team will respond within 2 business days to schedule the request. If you have any questions about this form or the services offered, please contact the Transportation Team at MGHCCMTransportation@PARTNERS.ORG

Transportation Van Use by Non-CCM Staff

These steps are required to obtain access to CCM Transportation Van.  All steps must be done in the order they appear below.

Please click here to download a helpful checklist of the steps to take.

1. Complete Driving Clearance Forms

To be cleared to use the CCM Transport Vans users must have their Driving Records Checked, Attest to CCM Driving Policies, and Sign consent form.

Click here to fill out the request form, and click here to access the Policy Memo. Completed forms should be scanned and emailed along with a copy of users valid driver’s license to the transportation team at MGHCCMTransportation@PARTNERS.ORG.

If you have any questions about this form or the services offered, please contact the Transportation Team at MGHCCMTransportation@PARTNERS.ORG

2. Complete Required Training

Review the required Van Use For Transportation of Animals training by clicking here.

3. Schedule a Transportation Tour

Tours are scheduled and reserved using an online CCM Transport Van tour calendar. This link is located in your Van clearance email.

You must bring your MGH ID badge and a copy of your clearance email. If you do not have your MGH ID, email copy, or if you arrive more than five minutes late, you will be asked to reschedule your tour.