St. John’s Medical College - Central Animal House


The Animal House in St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences was established in March 1999, for the purpose of teaching, training and conducting biomedical research. It is located in the institutional campus. This is a centralized facility and functions under the supervision of Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA), Government of India. As per the approval granted by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) of St. John’s Medical College, the animal experimental studies are carried out in this facility by the faculty and research scholars of St. John’s Medical College and St. John’s Research Institute.

Guidelines followed: The facility is presently functioning with a CPCSEA registration number 90/PO/ReBi/S/99/CPCSEA, for Research for Education purpose and Breeding. The Central Animal House comes under the purview of Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) which is formed by CPCSEA, Govt. of India for approval and supervision of experiments on small laboratory animals such as rats, mice, guinea pigs, hamsters and rabbits. Periodic meetings of the IAEC are held for the approval of animal experimental projects.

Facilities of the central animal house: The animal house possesses facilities for breeding and maintenance of laboratory animals under standard husbandry conditions. The following facilities are available in the animal house:

1. Experimental facility for the researchers
2. Quarantine facility
3. Operation room
4. Autoclave for sterilization
5. Polycarbonate animal cages
6. Breeding of experimental animals
7. Store-rooms for the animal feeds, bedding materials and drugs
8. Wash area
9. Biological waste disposal facility


The Department of Pharmacology, St. John’s Medical College, is responsible for the operational aspects of the animal house. A team of an experienced veterinarian and three trained supporting staff monitor the general health of the experimental animals and assist for the animal experiments conducted as per CPCSEA guidelines. The support staff ensures animal care including feeding, watering, restraining, cage cleaning and record keeping. Animal house is well equipped with adequate measures for temperature and humidity control, noise control, timer-controlled lighting system with back up for use in power failure. The animal house facility maintains all necessary records of animals and activities as per the requirement of CPCSEA.


List of ongoing and recently completed projects:
1. Identification and characterization of the crude and purified compounds of Firmiana Colorata and evaluation of its medicinal properties.
2. Imaging, diagnosis, and therapeutics of cancer using multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles
3. Molecular determinants of metastasis in breast cancer
4. Effect of nanoparticles on a biological system probed by quantification of biomarker, proteome profiling of tissues using imaging mass spectrometry and conformational analysis of desorbed haemoglobin
5. Production of intrinsically 2 H-labelled egg white protein
6. Examination of cancers using xenografts
7. To check the anti-cancerous effect of Aloe Vera on CML cells
8. Pancreatic beta cell imaging using magnetic nanoparticles: study of diabetes mellitus
9. Production of intrinsically 2H labelled milk protein

Institutional Animal Ethics Committee
St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru – 560034.
Inception: March 1999 Reg. No.: 90/PO/ReBi/S/99/CPCSEA
Small animal research and in breeding facility for Mice, Rat, Rabbit, Frog, Hen, Goat.
Current members:
1.Dr. Neha Vyas: Chairperson. (Molecular Medicine , SJRI)
2.Dr. Padmini Devi, Member, Scientist in charge of animal house (HOD, Pharmacology)
3.Dr. Vinod George Thykadavil, Proposed member secretary, biological scientist from different disciple. (Biochemistry)
4.Dr. Anita R Bijoor, Member Secretary, biological scientist from different disciple (HOD, Biochemistry)
5.Dr. Pinaki Prasad Sengupta, Main Nominee, Principal scientist, ICAR, NIVEDI
6.Dr. R G Prakash, Link Nominee, JNCASR
7.Mr. Ramanaiah Illuri, Member Scientist from outside the institute
8.Mr. Amritanshu Ram, Member, socially aware member.
9.Dr. A H Sudarshan, Veterinarian St. John’s Animal House Facility.
Contact address: animalresearch.ethics@stjohns.in



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