FACILITIES
Available preclinical facilities
CIRCULATORY HEALTH
SMALL ANIMAL RESEARCH FACILITY
The Circulatory Health Small Animal Research Facility is dedicated to both fundamental and early stage translational research. We have vast experience with, but are not exclusive to, different mouse models of cardiovascular disease.
Services
The Circulatory Health Research Facility for small animal experimentation provides state-of-the-art high frequency ultrasound imaging, echo guided injection, Laser Doppler, ex vivo heart perfusion systems and several surgery working stations. It is located within the Central Laboratory Animal Research Facility and operated by highly experienced researchers and biotechnical support.
Equipment
The Circulatory Health Small Animal Research Facility is equipped with a Visualsonics Vevo3100 4D high frequency ultrasound, allowing imaging in 3D and 4D, echo guided injections, Power Doppler, and Tissue Doppler measurements. The AD instrument Mouse working Heart System allows Langendorff perfusion and working heart mode with cardiac pacing and allows, amongst others, measuring cardiac pressures. The lab is equipped with several surgery stations with rodent ventilation systems and microscopes, of which one can be equipped with a camera, which makes it an ideal setting for training purposes.
ADVANCED DISEASE MODELS
Regenerative Medicine Utrecht (RMU) brings together the largest number of researchers in the Netherlands to address global health care problems by replacing, engineering and regenerating human cells, tissues and organs. Our outstanding scientists, engineers, clinicians, students, ethicists and staff work together on the development of regenerative strategies and their translation into patient benefit.
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To study, understand and generate myocardial tissue, we develop different models in close collaborations with different partners. For these tasks, we combined expertises on:
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iPS generation
Differentiation and generation of cardiomyoyctes, fibroblasts and endothelial cells
CrispR/Cas and Prime Gene-editing
Biofabrication (Prof Jos Malda)
Screening facility (Prof Jeff Beekman)
Single cell isolations and generation of tissue slices
EXTRACELLULAR VESICLE-INSPIRED NANOMEDICINE HUB
We develop and apply novel methodologies in which Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) are used as strong multidisciplinair, highly conserved cellular communication vehicle for both intra-organism as inter-organism commununication that will be the basis of the development of EV-based biomarkers, therapeutics and drug-delivery platforms.