k.guzman@correo.ler.uam.mx
Additional Details
• Manual for the Care and Use of Animals• YouTube
• UAMFoto
Introduction
The Mexiquense Animal Facility at the Lerma Campus of the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana operates as a specialized center dedicated to producing, maintaining, and safeguarding research animals under microbiologically controlled conditions. Its design, operation, and equipment follow national and international regulations, ensuring stable, safe, and reproducible environments for high-level scientific research.
The facility strengthens teaching, research, and scientific support services by providing the environmental, sanitary, and technical conditions required for responsible and ethical use of animal models. Advanced environmental-control systems, standardized procedures, and state-of-the-art equipment enable the Mexiquense Animal Facility to support progress in biomedical, pharmacological, and behavioral sciences while helping train highly skilled researchers.
The facility forms part of UAM’s institutional network of animal facilities, along with those at the Xochimilco and Iztapalapa campuses. This network expands capabilities, optimizes shared resources, and builds collaboration channels with academic, industrial, and innovation sectors. Its creation positions the Lerma Campus as a regional leader in scientific infrastructure and as a key contributor to research with social and technological impact.
The Mexiquense Animal Facility operates with infrastructure designed to maintain optimal conditions for animal housing, handling, and experimentation, in accordance with strict biosafety and welfare standards. The facility adheres to national and international regulations, ensuring controlled environments and consistent procedures that support scientific quality across every project.
Environmental Control and Biosafety
• A precision climate-control system keeps temperature and humidity within specific ranges essential for physiological stability.
• High-efficiency air filtration (HEPA) and regulated air changes prevent contaminants from entering and maintain a microbiologically safe atmosphere.
• An automated light–dark cycle respects species’ circadian rhythms and reinforces consistent experimental conditions.
• Physical barriers and restricted-access procedures reduce risks of cross-contamination and protect colony health.
Sanitary and Maintenance Services
• A water-purification system provides contaminant-free water suitable for animal consumption and for preparing diets or experimental solutions.
• Dedicated areas support washing, disinfecting, and sterilizing equipment, cages, and materials, helping the facility comply with required regulations.
• Spaces for housing, breeding, quarantine, and observation follow layouts that promote safe movement of personnel and materials.
Specialized Equipment
The facility includes technological resources that expand experimental capabilities:
• Micro-isolators maintain pathogen-free organisms and support high biosafety levels.
• Behavioral monitoring and phenotyping systems allow precise assessment of ethological and neurobehavioral parameters.
• Equipment for surgical and preclinical anesthesia procedures supports protocols in neuroscience, pharmacology, and disease models.
Research Support Services
• Technical advising for designing, conducting, and refining experimental protocols.
• Training in handling, restraining, and caring for laboratory animals for students, researchers, and academic personnel.
• Oversight of practices aligned with institutional ethics guidelines and welfare criteria.
Projects and Activities
The Mexiquense Animal Facility ensures proper care and responsible use of laboratory animals, following national and international quality standards that strengthen teaching, research, and service activities.
The facility provides solid scientific and technical support for research projects that require animal models to study biological, biomedical, and behavioral processes. Its infrastructure and equipment enable research in neuroscience, pharmacology, animal behavior, biomedical innovation, and preclinical evaluation, providing conditions that promote reliable, reproducible results.
Another core goal centers on training highly skilled personnel. The facility serves as a specialized learning environment where students, faculty, and technical staff develop advanced competencies in handling, caring for, and working with laboratory animals. This training builds practical and ethical expertise essential for working with model organisms in professional scientific settings.
The Mexiquense Animal Facility also supports internal and external projects by offering infrastructure and experimental services. Collaborations with academic groups, research centers, and institutions gain access to specialized facilities for conducting scientific protocols. This service capacity strengthens research networks and boosts academic and technological output.
The facility maintains a firm commitment to animal welfare and ethical compliance. All activities follow the principles of Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement (the 3Rs), which guide responsible use of animal models. These principles help minimize discomfort, optimize resources, and promote alternatives whenever possible, strictly following national and international standards.
Institutional Integration and Outreach
The Mexiquense Animal Facility forms part of UAM’s network of animal facilities, complementing the capabilities of the Xochimilco and Iztapalapa campuses. This institutional integration supports coordinated efforts, shared resources, and consistent standards in handling, biosafety, and animal welfare across the university. Networked operation strengthens efficiency, service quality, and the capacity to meet each campus’s research needs.
Beyond its internal role, the facility engages with academic and industrial sectors. Its strategic location in the State of Mexico enables collaboration with pharmaceutical, food, biotechnology, and scientific research institutions in the Toluca region and surrounding areas. These partnerships foster joint projects, encourage innovation, and broaden the impact of UAM's work.
Through these efforts, the Mexiquense Animal Facility not only reinforces the scientific infrastructure of the Lerma Campus but also elevates the university’s standing as a regional reference in preclinical research, specialized training, and interinstitutional collaboration.
The Mexiquense Animal Facility maintains strictly controlled environmental conditions that support animal health and physiological stability. Temperature, humidity, and the light–dark cycle are precisely regulated to ensure constant, suitable conditions for animal models. These measures help researchers reproduce experimental conditions with high reliability.
A specialized HEPA-based air-filtration and ventilation system ensures clean, contaminant-free air and complies with current regulations. Programmed air exchanges significantly reduce contamination risks, and controlled airflow between areas maintains a safe and stable environment.
Sanitary safety relies on a layout that separates housing, quarantine, cleaning, and experimental areas. This arrangement supports the safe flow of personnel and materials and prevents undesired interference or cross-traffic. Restricted access ensures that only trained, authorized personnel handle animals and specialized equipment. Micro-isolators further protect colonies from pathogens.
The physical space includes areas equipped for specialized procedures such as stereotaxic surgery, preclinical anesthesia stations, and behavioral-monitoring rooms. These areas control lighting, acoustics, and vibrations to support precise and reproducible measurements. Advanced equipment—some devices unique in the country—expands the facility’s preclinical research capabilities.
A reverse-osmosis water-purification system provides continuous high-quality water. This system supports animal health by lowering disease risk and maintaining consistent experimental conditions.
The facility follows national and international guidelines for macro- and microenvironmental control, training, and proper handling of experimental animals to support high-quality scientific inquiry.
The Mexiquense Animal Facility includes air conditioning and heating, HEPA filtration and UV lamps, at least 15 air changes per hour, 45–65% relative humidity, a 12-hour light/dark cycle, reverse-osmosis purified water, and sanitary finishes that facilitate cleaning and disinfection.
The facility also includes a quarantine area, a washroom, a procedure room, a behavioral-evaluation room, and an animal-housing space equipped with a ONE CAGE 2100 micro-isolator that accommodates up to 384 mice in a controlled microenvironment. A change station (a laminar-flow hood with HEPA filtration) can temporarily hold up to 180 mice, and a storage room supports supplies and materials.
Available equipment includes a behavioral-monitoring system, analysis software, a variety of arenas and behavioral task setups, and tools for intracerebral drug administration. Researchers can also use platforms that support behavioral analyses and characterize preclinical Alzheimer's models and cognitive-function impairments through arenas designed for object-recognition and object-location memory tasks.
The Mexiquense Animal Facility follows international guidelines on macro- and microenvironments, training, and best practices for the proper handling and ethical use of laboratory animals, ensuring high-quality scientific work.
Primary User Groups
The Mexiquense Animal Facility supports academic and scientific groups within and beyond UAM. Its primary users include researchers conducting studies in biomedicine, neuroscience, pharmacology, animal behavior, biotechnology, and preclinical innovation. These researchers rely on the facility and its equipment to carry out studies that require controlled conditions and certified animal models.
Undergraduate and graduate students form another key user group. They train at the facility to develop skills in handling, caring for, and experimenting with laboratory animals. Through academic practice, research stays, theses, and specialized courses, students benefit from the technical and scientific guidance provided by the facility.
Technical and academic personnel from diverse disciplines use the facility when they need specialized infrastructure for experimental procedures. They work in spaces designed to maintain biosafety, animal welfare, and strict environmental control.
Access Policies and Guidelines
The Animal Facility of the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Lerma Campus, regulates access. This ensures animal welfare, biosafety, and compliance with applicable institutional and national regulations on the care and use of laboratory animals.
These policies follow the guidelines of the Institutional Committee for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (CICUAL) at UAM Lerma, as set in its Organization and Procedures Manual.
1. Authorized personnel
Only authorized faculty, staff, students, and external users can access the Animal Facility. Facility Coordination grants access. CICUAL of the Lerma Campus approves access, if needed.
All authorized users are responsible for properly registering, presenting valid institutional identification upon entry, and ensuring that their access is recorded each time they enter the facility.
2. Access requirements
• To enter, hold an approved protocol from CICUAL of UAM Lerma Campus for research, teaching, or service.
• Show that you are responsible for maintaining current training in ethical animal handling, welfare, and biosafety.
• You are responsible for knowing and complying with the Facility's internal operating, safety, and conduct rules.
3. Entry and stay conditions
• Access only during official hours unless Coordination grants special authorization.
• Do not allow entry to unauthorized or unapproved people.
• Always wear the required personal protective equipment for your area.
• Do not bring food, beverages, unnecessary items, or unapproved animals.
4. Biosafety and conduct
You are responsible for following all biosafety, hygiene, animal handling, and waste management procedures established for the Animal Facility and defined by CICUAL guidelines.
Immediately report any incident compromising animal welfare, personnel safety, or facility integrity to the Facility Coordinator.
5. Visits
The Animal Facility permits visits only for academic or institutional purposes. Visitors must obtain prior authorization and remain under the supervision of authorized staff. Minors and anyone not directly connected to approved activities are not allowed entry.
6. Non-compliance
Failure to follow these policies may result in suspension of access and institutional action per UAM regulations and law.