Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers)
Q: What are the first steps I take to get the Core involved in my project?
A: The first step is to fill out a request form (found on this website) for the particular type of work you are interested in. Second step is to turn that form into Toni Gonzales at agonzale@wustl.edu or 314-362-8901. After these two steps are completed, you will hear back from Carla Weinheimer with a specific day that the work can be scheduled. The work will then be completed on that date, the analysis done and sent to you, and then the bill sent out.
Q: Can mice be shipped to you from outside facilities to have Core services performed?
A: Yes, we frequently accept mice form outside institutions. These mice usually must remain in quarantine for several weeks before work can be performed, but there are exceptions to this rule.
Q: Who is the contact individual at your institution for shipping mice in?
A: First, you must contact Carla Weinheimer at cweinhei@wustl.edu to arrange the schedule for the core work being requested. After this initial contact and scheduling, outside investigators may contact:
Gary Barron, GBARRON@wustl.edu; phone 314-747-3594
to inquire about shipping mice into our facility and to identify which forms will have to be filled out prior to shipment.
Q: Do you work with outside investigators and what is the procedure to initiate the process?
A: Yes, we welcome outside investigators and have extensive experience working with both industry and academic institutions outside
Q: Are there any specific charges associated with shipping mice to your from an outside facility?
A: The outside investigator is, of course, responsible for the shipping cost. In addition, a per diem charge for housing the mice and an administrative charge for daily rounding on the mice after a procedure will be added to the total cost for the work requested. The core will provide a “Total Cost Estimate” for outside investigators before scheduling a procedure.
Q: How will I be billed as an outside investigator?
A: Outside investigators, as well as Washington University personnel, must first fill out a work request form which is available on this website. After the work is completed, you will be billed through the purchase order system. Bills can be paid through grants, bank checks, or credit cards.
Q: How quickly can I expect work to be done after a request has been submitted?
A: Our volume of work varies from month to month but, in general, you can expect your experiment to be scheduled within 2-3 weeks or sooner after the request is received.
Q: How quickly will I receive data from my requested study?
A: This varies widely. Echo analysis is a more involved process and may take up to 3 weeks, while most other procedures generate data within 1-2 weeks.
Q: What will I receive in the way of data at the study end?
A: Each request is different, but you can find a specific outline of the data/samples/etc. that you will receive included in the description of each procedure on this website.
Q: What is the cost/discount/price reduction for a mouse that does not survive procedures and consequently does not receive the full requested procedure.
A: Mice which do not make it off the surgical table generally are discounted the full price and are listed as a “technical failure”. (There are exceptions to this rule depending on phenotypes.) In addition, a mouse which recovers to breathing on his own and is returned to the cage BUT dies at any time after that is charged full price for the procedure.
Center
for Cardiovascular Research
Washington University
School of Medicine