Center for Cardiovascular Research Physiology Core (CCVRPC)
The Center for Cardiovascular Research Physiology Core (CCVRPC) at UIC provides technical, material and intellectual resources for scientists interested in developing and functionally assessing rodent models of cardiovascular disease.
News
Location
Robert Gaffin, Ph.D.
E-mail: bgaffin@uic.edu
Overview
The mission of the Center for Cardiovascular Research Physiology Core (CCVRPC) facility at UIC is to provide technical, material and intellectual resources for scientists interested in developing and functionally assessing rodent models of cardiovascular disease. To accomplish this, the CCVR core provides surgical services to create rodent models of cardiovascular disease and high-resolution ultrasound to capture morphological and functional data in both screening and longitudinal studies. We also offer electrocardiograms from conscious, non-anesthetized animals and load-independent indices of cardiac performance from in vivo hemodynamic studies.
To ensure that we will provide the highest quality data, we utilize state-of-the-art equipment and the latest methodology. For example, our surgeries are conducted using stringent, aseptic techniques, precision vaporizers and ventilators designed specifically for mice. Our Visualsonics Vevo 770 ultrasound (30 MHz) provides excellent temporal and spatial resolution in both mice and rats while our ECGenie delivers high fidelity ECGs from conscious mice (including neonates). We also utilize Scisense's new admittance technology that yields the most accurate and reproducible volumes currently available for in vivo hemodynamic studies.
All services are available for UIC faculty as well as external users. We would be happy to consult with you to plan your experiments, implement one of our rodent models of cardiovascular disease or assist you in developing your animal use protocols and grant applications. Please note that use of equipment and all services provided by the CCVR core facility is contingent upon prior approval of the PI's Animal Use Protocol by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).