Sentinel™ colony health monitoring
Allentown and Charles River Laboratories have partnered together to develop the Exhaust Air Dust collection methodology - or EAD®. This system does not require soiled-bedding sentinel animals, but instead captures and samples aggregate exhaust air from IVCs using a patented collection media that attracts dust particles but doesn't load like a filter, or impact airflow.
Fewer sentinel animals
Estimated at up to 1,000,000 animals annually, the rodents required for traditional SBS programs can now be significantly reduced. In fact, a recent study undertaken by the University of Chicago saw a decrease in their use of SBS by approximately 1700 animals each year. These types of reductions can bring facilities that use the Sentinel system closer in line with the 3Rs.
More accurate results
Tested extensively by Charles River and Allentown, the Sentinel EAD protocol not only increases detection percentages of the most commonly tested agents, but also expands the number and variety of agents that can be tested and detected.
Reduced labor and cost
In a recent study performed by the University of Chicago comparing Soiled Bedding Sentinels (SBS) and EAD, the annual cost of their Sentinel program was found to be 26% less expensive than the SBS program, equating to over $160,800 in savings per year for that institution.
All systems are NOT the same
Sentinel utilizes exhaust air dust collection in conjunction with PCR analysis to achieve tremendous results. And as increasing numbers of industry leaders become convinced of the efficacy of this system, the questions now become: "Are all capture systems the same?" and "Does EAD capture work the same in all IVCs?" The answer to both questions is NO. EAD collection - the backbone of Sentinel - works best in Allentown IVCs. Here's why: The combination of Allentown's collection media material, TWO options for capture device and placement within the exhaust stream, and Allentown's industry leading airflow performance serves to maximize the efficacy of the system and achieve results unobtainable in other IVCs and other solutions.
