Colony Management / Animal Facility Management
PyRAT (Python based Relational Animal Tracking) is a web based colony management database solution, enabling animal facilities to manage their information flow in a straightforward and transparent way. All relevant data on laboratory animals like rats or mice is easily and securely accessible from anywhere with internet or intranet access. This allows researchers to work also from outside the facility, saving time and making scientists' and animal keepers' work more convenient. At the same time, the animal facility manager's administrative work is significantly simplified.
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PyRAT: Special Features |
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Integrated Tools
Technical Requirements
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In order to optimize animal facility management, PyRAT provides:
- Real-time data management
- Detailed animal and cage history
- Pedigree and genealogical information
- Owner and project information
- Animal census and budgeting
- Licenses, protocol applications and government reporting
- Integrated communication tools
- Cage card printing
- Different access levels
Even under encryption, the software can handle large amounts of data, thus making PyRAT the first choice for research-installations and animal facilities of almost any size.
Additional tools included in the PyRAT package
1. Work Request Manager
Next to its comprehensive standard functionality, PyRAT contains a built in work request management system.
- Allows users to submit work requests to the animal facility staff without using phone or e-mail
- Allows administrators to assign work requests and exchange information
- Tracks status and priority of incidents in the colony
- E-mails users when their work request has been addressed or additional information is needed
- Allows tasks to be grouped into work classes and assigned to a staff member based on this class
- Documents time, date and initiator of a request to avoid potential misunderstandings
Due to the data structure behind PyRAT it is very easy to extract data and create reports.
Pre-created reports exist to indicate pups that must be weaned as well as to summarize different aspects of the current colony, such as mutation and strain of a mouse. Furthermore, the reports help to execute facility budgeting and include cage days or animal days per user and group. Last, the animal facility management system automatically calculates breeding efficiency of individual animals or groups of animals in the colony.
The software tracks an animal from birth and keeps a detailed record of all of the events that occur to it.
From breeding and birth to sacrificing of the animals, all worksteps in an animal's life are documented. This also includes addition of comments and mutations, thus allowing scientists to store research data within the system. To each of these historical events, a user and time stamp is associated so that it is always clear who did what to which animal, helping you meet potential documentation requirements within your facility.
PyRAT keeps an internal user database that allows the administrator to create new users and control their access levels to the facility management software. Users can be granted permission to simply view the data, administrate certain groups or projects, modify animal information (animal caretakers), or administrate the entire colony database. The system is very easy to operate and no IT support is necessary.
PyRAT's Technical Requirements
PyRAT is trouble free to set up and will run with all standard hard- and software. It will run on any Linux or Unix based server that can support the Python scripting language and MySQL Database Software. We recommend an Intel or AMD based Linux server with a speed greater than 2GHz and with at least 512 MB of RAM.
On the client side, PyRAT will run on any major operating system that supports the free Mozilla Firefox web browser. This includes all current versions of Windows, MacOS (including OS X), and most flavors of UNIX, such as Linux.
- PyRAT provides simplification and automation of work processes, thereby increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and improving reliability of data
- All relevant data is stored in a central database and accessed via an encrypted internet or intranet connection, providing secure, real-time information anytime anywhere
- Process efficiency is greatly improved through automation of standard procedures and administration, freeing up your time for conducting science
- Automatic notification on events results in better responsiveness to potentially critical issues
- The system is easily integrated and based on open-source platforms, resulting in a value for money that is superior to all similar products - commercial or self-programmed
References
Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine
Berlin, Germany
Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
Dresden, Germany
Max-Planck-Institute for Infection Biology
Berlin, Germany
Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine
Goettingen, Germany
Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Center for Molecular Medicine
University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Germany
A 1 page info sheet (approx. 610kb) can be downloaded here.
In case you did not yet find all desired information, please also see our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have any other questions or if you would like to get a free test access to PyRAT, please contact us at products@scionics.de or by phone at +49 351 796 5360.
If you already have a test log-in, you can also get a first-hand impression of the PyRAT system at our online test & trial version.