Animal Care Systems Information

Animal Care Systems was founded in 1997 by a PhD, DVM Neuroscientist, Dr. Germain Rivard. He was a hands-on rodent behavior scientist who concluded that data collected from the animals was skewed by the absence of advanced technology for housing animals. Rudimentary motorized IVC racks were available that delivered fresh air to the rodents and removed waste air but this equipment was loud, emitted ultrasound, put heat loads and allergens into the room and, in addition, vibrated the rodents in their cages. He also noticed that the allergens released into the room from the motorized racks causing an increase in the rate of laboratory animal allergies as well as increasing the presence of waste gases such as ammonia, which can be very repugnant to both people and rodents. He spent years researching animal behavior and evaluating the various caging technologies on the market and concluded that there was no system on the market that was focused on animal and technician welfare. Dr. Rivard proceeded to invent a new style of individually ventilated cage, that would provide an optimal microenvironment for the rodents as well as a better work environment for the people that work with the animals. He invented the first motor-free, ventilated rack system and called it the M.I.C.E. System. M.I.C.E. focusing on 4 fundamental necessities; M: Microenvironmental comfort, I: Isolation, C: Containment E: Enrichment. Dr. Rivard was a pioneer in the field of reduction and elimination of non-experimental variables which is now widely studied and implemented. Animal Care Systems proudly carries on the tradition of our founder and strives to continually innovate and improve the performance of new product lines and services we provide, while remaining focused on animal and personnel welfare.