The mission of the Comparative Medicine Unit at the National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC by its Spanish acronym) is to advance knowledge and improve health and well-being of humans and animals through a service of excellence to the investigator.

• Pathology service.
• Surgical animal model service.
• Cardiovascular phenotyping service for genetically modified animals.
• Animal model quality control models.

 The Carlos III National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) Foundation Ethics Committee 

• To report on the suitability of each procedure as it relates to the study’s objectives, the possibility of reaching valid conclusions with the least possible number of animals, consideration of alternative methods for the use of animals and the suitability of the species selected.
• To report that each procedure is carried out adjusting to the written record provided or approved as mentioned in appendices XII and XIII.
• To report on the performance of procedures, most notably ensuring that:
  • Methods are put into place in which the animals do not suffer unnecessarily and that analgesics, anaesthetics or other methods are used, when necessary, to eliminate pain, suffering or anguish as much as possible.
  • Euthanasia methods that are suitable for the species and the procedure being performed are used.
  • The personnel who participate in the procedures have the proper training in order to carry out the tasks they are assigned.

• Provide independent consulting on ethics in animal experimentation to the Scientific Committee and CNIC management, particularly as it applies to the use of animal procedures and the standards for the care and well-being of the animal.
• Provide support to those responsible for the care and well-being of the animals and to provide counselling to users in animal well-being and ethics questions that may arise during their work.
• Promote the use of ethical analysis in order to increase awareness of questions on animal well-being and to develop initiatives that lead to the widest application possible of the 3Rs.

1. President: Director of a Scientific Department
2. Secretary: Specialist in Animal Well-being (Cat. D1 and D2)
3. An Investigator from the centre who is not directly involved in the procedure that is to be reported
4. A person with experience and knowledge in animal well-being who does not have a direct relationship with the centre or the procedure involved
5. A representative from each of the following scientific departments:
   • Department of Atherothrombosis and Cardiovascular Imaging
   • Department of Vascular and Inflammation Biology
   • Department of Cardiovascular Development and Repair
6. In addition, a specialist in Statistics will be part of the Committee
7. Two representatives from the Compared Medicine Unit with experience and knowledge of the well-being of the centre’s animals
8. An administrator
9. In addition, the Committee will include two laypersons (two persons who are not affiliated with the organization)

AREAS IN THE COMPARATIVE MEDICINE CORE FACILITY 

• Rodent Area

Comparative Medicine also has an area designated for material processing (washing zone), as well as its own small storage area. This washing and sterilization zone has a robot for automatic processing (emptying, washing and filling) of cages; a rack washer to in order to wash shelves and accessories used in the housing of the animals such as water bottles, screens and cage covers; two 6 m³ autoclaves, each for the sterilization of material that is going to be used in the housing and care of the animals; and two 5 m³ sterilization chambers for hydrogen peroxide or other chemical agents for use with vapour-sensitive devices, equipment and material. In addition, we have two 0.5 m³ hydrogen peroxide sterilization chambers in the north wing.

• Aquarium

• Imaging Area

This new area will be located on the 3rd floor where the institute's parking lot is currently located. The new installation's south wing will provide service to surgically-induced cardiovascular pig and rabbit models while the north wing will provide service to rat models and house the new fish facility.

• Pathology Service

• Collaborate with CNIC research groups in the design and development of projects that involve histopathology, consulting on technical aspects such as the choice of the ideal fixative according to tissue type, sectioning planes, stains, etc., with subsequent histopathology evaluation according to internationally recognized standards.
• Histopathology classification of animal models.
• Fine-tuning and development of innovative immunohistochemistry or immunofluorescence protocols of general interest for the CNIC scientific project.
• Development of proprietary lines and projects in technological and scientific research.
• Make known and put into service Optical Projection Tomography (OPT) for CNIC users, the latest sophisticated technology which allows for the creation of 3D images of a biological specimen that has been shown to be a useful tool for 3D mapping of patterns of gene expression during embryonic development.

• Experimental Surgery Department

• Scientific consulting for the development and application of experimental models and
• Implementation and development of experimental surgery models in order to meet the requirements of each particular project.