Training in Rat Cardiac Transplant Surgical Procedure and Supportive Techniques

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This protocol (CCM 0404) is part of an overall program to study acute cellular rejection, immunotolerance and cardiac allograft vasculopathy in a rat cardiac transplant model. The rodent model of heterotopic cardiac transplantation is a well established model in the field of solid organ transplantation. The purpose of this protocol is to make provisions to train personnel in the rat cardiac transplant surgical procedure. In 2009 we produced a narrated DVD-video of the entire transplant procedure to supplement "hands-on" training and potentially reduce the number of animals needed to accomplish the task. The anticipated outcome is to master the technical skills prior to the initiation of an animal study, thereby minimizing unnecessary animal suffering and loss due to research procedures. In 2011-12 we worked on a manuscript with our Chinese collaborators describing the methodology of the rat cardiac transpland model. This has been published (Chen H, Mei Yun-qing, and Solomon, MA. Experiences of establishing an abdominal heart transplantation model in rats. National Medical Journal of China, 2012, Vol. 92, No. 24, page 1715-1718). The protocol also allows for the harvesting of organs after euthanizing the animal for the purposes of: histopathological review; training individuals in the sample processing techniques; and providing means for experienced laboratory personnel to develop improved sample processing techniques. There have been a total of 390 animals used and 3 investigators trained since the protocol was approved.