Springer Essentials of Laboratory Animal Science: Principles and Practices

This book comprehensively reviews the anatomy, physiology, genetics and pathology of laboratory animals as well as the principles and practices of using laboratory animals for biomedical research. It covers the design of buildings used for laboratory animals, quality control of laboratory animals, and toxicology, and discusses various animal models used for human diseases. It also highlights aspects, such as handling and restraint and administration of drugs, as well as breeding and feeding of laboratory animals, and provides guidelines for developing meaningful experiments using laboratory animals. Further, the book discusses various alternatives to animal experiments for drug and chemical testing, including their advantages over the current approaches. Lastly, it examines the potential effect of harmful pathogens on the physiology of laboratory animals and discusses the state of art in in vivo imaging techniques. The book is a useful resource for research scientists, laboratory animal veterinarians, and students of laboratory animal medicine. From the Back Cover This book comprehensively reviews the anatomy, physiology, genetics and pathology of laboratory animals as well as the principles and practices of using laboratory animals for biomedical research. It covers the design of buildings used for laboratory animals, quality control of laboratory animals, and toxicology, and discusses various animal models used for human diseases. It also highlights aspects, such as handling and restraint and administration of drugs, as well as breeding and feeding of laboratory animals, and provides guidelines for developing meaningful experiments using laboratory animals. Further, the book discusses various alternatives to animal experiments for drug and chemical testing, including their advantages over the current approaches. Lastly, it examines the potential effect of harmful pathogens on the physiology of laboratory animals and discusses the state of art in in vivo imaging techniques. The book is a useful resource for research scientists, laboratory animal veterinarians, and students of laboratory animal medicine. About the Author Dr. Ramachandra, S.G. graduated from Bangalore Veterinary College in 1987 and subsequently completed post-graduation and PhD in Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology from Bangalore Veterinary College. He has been working in the field of Laboratory Animal Science for the last twenty-nine years and is currently working as Chief Research Scientist and In-charge of the Central Animal Facility at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He has undergone several advanced trainings on laboratory animal medicine and surgery at USA, Germany, Taiwan and Japan. He is associated with various regulatory authorities such as CPCSEA (Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Govt. of India), NGCMA (DST, Govt. of India) etc., as Laboratory Animal expert. He has organized several national and international conferences/ workshops on Laboratory Animal Science. He has established the Laboratory Animal Scientists’ Association (LASA) and served as Founder President for nine years (2004-2013). He has also served as Vice President of Asian Federation of Laboratory Animal Science Associations (AFLAS), Japan. Established “Journal of Laboratory Animal Science” and serving as Editor-in-Chief. He has been nominated as “Fellow” by the National Academy of Veterinary Science, New Delhi and bestowed with “Nakula” award by the Karnataka Veterinary Association for his significant contribution in the area of Laboratory Animal Science. He has provided technical guidance in establishment of more than 15 laboratory animal facilities in the country. He is also actively involved in research and developed rapid diagnostics kits for the detection for six different pathogens of laboratory animals.  He has published 90 research papers in peer reviewed national and international journals