Newsletter snapshot

Welcome back to Ozgene ARC News. In this edition: our AAALAC accreditation application is officially in, we will be at ANZLAA 2025, and you can now order rats up to 8 weeks of age. Plus, catch the findings from our JAX hard shipper trial and do not forget our timed-mating service for select mouse and rat strains.

AAALAC application submitted

We are happy to announce that our AAALAC International accreditation application was submitted on 28 June 2025. This meets a goal set when Ozgene ARC assumed operations of the former Animal Resources Centre and highlights our commitment to meeting global benchmarks for animal welfare and facility standards. While accreditation was not possible at our temporary facilities, we have now applied for our new facility, which has been our permanent home since December 2024. We follow the same processes as our AAALAC-accredited sister facility in Indianapolis and are familiar with the rigours of the evaluation process. We will share further updates as this application and evaluation progress.

See you at ANZLAA 2025

We will be sponsoring and exhibiting at ANZLAA 2025 in Hobart from 11 to 13 August. Please drop by Booth 3 to chat and hear about our latest developments. We are always keen to receive your feedback and understand your requirements going forward. If you would prefer a more focused discussion, simply let us know and we will arrange a dedicated appointment time.

Attending from Ozgene are CEO Maarit Patrick, Senior Veterinary Surgeon Chris Cooper, Project & Colony Manager Jacqui Watts and Research Assistant Leah McGrady. We look forward to seeing you in Hobart!

Rats now available up to 8 weeks of age

After reviewing space availability and optimising our colonies, we are pleased to announce that rats can now be purchased up to 8 weeks of age through our ordering portal—an increase from the previous 6-week limit. Please note that orders for rats older than 6 weeks must be placed before the animals turn 6 weeks old, allowing us to age them for the additional period.

JAX shipper trial

As communicated previously, we have been trialling the small JAX hard shippers at no additional cost to you, and we appreciate the insights you have shared. The hard shippers provide greater protection during transit and are more straightforward to pack. However, several customers raised questions about their disposal and environmental impact. We also heard that most would not opt to pay a premium for hard shippers if they became our standard solution. With all this feedback in mind, once our current hard-shipper stock is used up, we will return to our small corflute shippers, while reserving hard shippers for strains that require additional protection. There is no change for the large shippers, which have always been corflute. We remain committed to balancing animal welfare, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness in every shipment.

Timed mating service

A friendly reminder that we are supplying timed-mated females for select strains, currently C57BL/6J, BALB/c, ARC(S) Swiss mice, Sprague Dawley and Wistar rats. This service was trialled in November 2024 and has been available since February 2025. Please see our price list and contact our customer service team to discuss your timed-mating requirements.