Texas A&M Preclinical Phenotyping Core

Providing a multitude of services on broad Post-Genomic Assays of biochemical,
preclinical, rodent phenotyping, and environmental toxicant studies.

SUBMIT on Ilabs Faqs

Welcome to the Texas A&M Preclinical Phenotyping Core (TPPC)

Offering a wide range of instruments to measure and quantify mouse physiology and behavior. With extensive experience in preclinical phenotyping across various mouse and small animal models, we guide researchers at every step of their translational research.

Our Services:

At the planning stage, we provide consulting to help determine the most effective molecular, physiological, and behavioral assays for your research goals. Our core supports a broad suite of equipment for metabolic, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, behavioral, cancer, immune, histology, and other molecular assays—providing comprehensive phenotyping for animal models. We also offer access to tools for generating preliminary data to support new grant applications.

Additionally, we provide access to the Collaborative Cross, a unique mouse genetic reference population that facilitates studies into the genetic basis of health, disease, and environmental responses.

The TPPC operates on a fee-for-service basis and provides access to shared workspace instrumentation.

Ready to work with TPPC? Please fill out our Consultation Request form today for a free one-hour consultation—we look forward to hearing from you!

Contact Us

For questions specific to TPPC, their services, and their pricing, contact Sunja Kim at:

TPPC

Services

The TPPC provides over 45 clinical chemical assays for plasma, serum, and urine samples using our DxC 700 AU clinical chemical analyzer. Additionally, we offer a full-service histology preparation, from tissue fixation to stained and prepped slides, utilizing our advanced Leica instrumentation. We strive to keep our pricing competitive and adapt to changes in vendor pricing to ensure the best value for you. Because prices are subject to change, we do not maintain a static price brochure. Below is a list of our most popular services, but a complete list can be found on iLab. For the most up-to-date information on services and pricing, please request a consultation using our Consultation Request form.

iLab

Beckman Coulter DxC 700 AU

The DxC 700 AU from Beckman Coulter combines two of the most trusted and widely requested clinical chemical analyzers in a single system. Its high throughput and precision make it a reliable choice for your experimental analysis.
Photometric Throughput with ISE (tests/hour): 800/1,200 with ISE
Number of Onboard Assays with ISE: 45+
Sample Volume (µL): Varies (see request form)

    Leica ASP300S Fully Enclosed Tissue Processor

    The Leica ASP300S is a product-scale tissue preparation solution that can fully encase tissue samples in under 4, 6, or 8 hours. When paired with our Leica Tissue Embedder, Rotary Microtome, and HistoCore Spectra Workstation, it enables the generation of stained and coverslipped slides for downstream analysis.

      Leica CM1950 Cryostat

      For customers requiring cryo-preserved tissue preparation, the Leica CM1950 provides excellent cross-sectioning and cryo-preservation in a single instrument. When paired with the Leica HistoCore Spectra Workstation, it enables precision slide preparation for downstream analysis. Additionally, those interested in spatial single-cell transcriptomic sequencing can pair their cryo-preserved slides with the 10x Genomics Visium CytAssist workflow and library sequencing, available through our Genomics Core.

        Leica HistoCore SPECTRA Workstation

        The Leica HistoCore Spectra Workstation is designed for large-scale, automated slide preparation, including staining and coverslip preservation. We offer the following stains, and if your stain is not listed, please request it when submitting your sample documentation.
        We will collaborate with you to develop the protocol for the following stains:
        H&E
        PAS with Light Green
        PAS with Alcian Blue
        Gomori’s Trichrome
        Iron Stain (pilot protocol)

          Shared Workspace Equipment

          The TPPC offers a wide range of equipment available for reservation and self-operation. To use the equipment, you must be a registered user in iLab and complete a training session with one of our staff members. Below is a list of items in the shared equipment area, along with instructions on how to register as a user.

          Location: REYN

          Clinical Pathology

          Run a CBC (22 parameters with WBC differentials), osmolality measurement, and a variety of chemistry panels of your choice. Please note that a service request is required for the chemistry panel.

          Instruments:
          VetScan HM5 Color Hematology System
          DxC 700 AU (Serum/Plasma/Urine Chemistry)
          OsmoPro Multi-Sample Micro-Osmometer

          Location: REYN

          Histology

          We offer everything from tissue processing to stained slide coverslipping. Please note that tissue processing, slide staining, and coverslipping require a service request.

          Instruments:
          Leica ASP300 Tissue Processor
          Leica CM1950 Cryostat
          Leica EG1150 Tissue Embedding
          Leica RM2165 Rotary Microtome
          Leica HistoCore SPECTRA Workstation (includes both stainer and cover slipper)

          Location: REYN

          Protein

          Perform flow cytometry, multiplex assays, or Western blot. Aurora provides flow cytometry with 4 lasers (16V, 14B, 10YG, 8R), 3 scattering channels, and 41 fluorescence channels. Jess offers multiplexed Western blotting with ELISA.

          Instruments:
          Cytek Aurora Flow Cytometer
          Bio-Rad Bio-Plex Luminex
          Protein Simple Jess Automated Western Blot System



          Location: REYN

          TSE Whole Body Inhalation Chamber

          Toxicant exposure (gas, vapor, and aerosol) in the animal’s own cage.

          Location: REYN

          TubeWriter 360

          Print on a variety of items, including tubes, vials, microscope slides, and more, in various sizes.

          Location: LArr

          Behavioral/Skeletomuscular

          We offer a variety of tests, from skeletomuscular qualities to behavioral and learning tasks, including maze navigation and fear conditioning. Detection for all mazes, except for TruScan and the Water Maze, is supported by Noldus EthoVision XT17.


          Instruments:
          DigiGait
          Chatillon Force Measurement
          Coulbourn Habitest System
          Open Field (8 mice at a time)
          Three Chamber Sociability (3 mice at a time)
          Barnes Maze
          Radial Arm Maze
          Rotarod Test (5 rats or mice at a time x2)
          TruScan (2 mice at a time)
          Water Maze

          Location: LARR

          Cardiovascular

          Obtain electrocardiograms and blood pressure (systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial) from awake mice or rats using non-invasive methods, with real-time waveform displays.


          Instruments:
          ECGenie
          Hatteras Multi-Channel Blood Pressure Analysis System (4 mice or rats at a time, tail-cuff method)

          Location: LARR (EchoMRI-900 in MREB ii)

          Rodent Imaging

          Mouse anesthesia is available with SomnoSuite for ultrasound and endoscopy procedures. EchoMRI measures fat, lean mass, free water, and total water mass in live, awake animals weighing up to 100g.

          Instruments:
          EchoMRI-100
          EchoMRI-900
          Vevo 3100 Ultrasound
          Stortz Endoscope

          Location: LARR & MREB II

          Metabolic

          Measure food and drink consumption, locomotor activity, and O2/CO2 levels with the PhenoMaster, and collect clean, uncontaminated urine and fecal samples using the Metabolic Cage for further analysis.

          Instruments:
          TSE PhenoMaster (32 cages a time)
          Hatteras Metabolic Cage (30 cages a time)


          Requirements for Working with TPPC

          1. AUP confirmation for behavior tests

          All behavior tests conducted in the core should be listed in your Animal Use Protocol (AUP). Please contact us if you have any questions or need assistance in designing your research project with TPPC service or preparing an AUP, Manuscripts, or Grant proposals.

          2. iLab Account

          To use our services and equipment, you must have a valid iLab account with an unexpired funding source.

          Creating an iLab Account:

          1. Go to TPPC iLab.
          2. Sign up using your TAMU or institution credentials.
          3. Click the three-bar icon in the upper left corner (next to the Agilent Cross Lab logo).
          4. Go to Manage Groups > My Groups.
          5. If your lab group is not listed, click Request Group Access and follow the instructions.
          6. Your PI or Lab/Group Manager must approve your request and add a funding source.

          3. Equipment Reservation

          To reserve equipment on iLab, you must have “trained user” status, which is granted after completing training (free of charge). If you’re already trained or have prior experience, you can request to skip the training by emailing tppc@tamu.edu.

          Once you have trained user status, go to TPPC iLab and click the Schedule Equipment tab to create a reservation.

          Staff assistance is available for a per-hour fee.

          Quicklinks

          Locations

          All locations open 24/7, staffed Mon-Fri 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

          Core Acknowledgment

          Publications describing research that takes place in the TPPC or containing data collected from TPPC equipment shall include the following statement in the acknowledgment section: “Use of the Texas A&M Rodent Preclinical Phenotyping Core is acknowledged.”