Gnotobiotic Workshop - IMPACTT microbiome

IMPACTT/IMC Gnotobiotic Workshop

About the Workshop

Who is it for?

This 2.5 day hands-on workshop is for any student, PI, researcher, or tech who wants to learn how to conduct gnotobiotic and germ-free animal experiments.

What will I learn?

Over the course of this two-day workshop you will learn to set up, sterilize, and maintain a germ-free isolator. You will gain the knowledge needed to plan gnotobiotic experiments, and learn how to quality control and maintain either germ-free or gnotobiotic (defined microbiota) conditions.

The format of the workshop will be mostly hands-on in our germ-free/gnotobiotic facility, with a limited number of lectures. Much of the workshop takes place inside the International Microbiome Centre (IMC), a large state-of-the-art germ-free/gnotobiotic facility.

At the end of the workshop, you will receive a completion certificate from IMPACTT.

Top 5 Topics:

Sterilizing Materials for Germ-Free Work – “Spray it, bake it, fog it, autoclave it; how to import materials with axenic mice.”
Isolator Operations – “Getting started, working in, and maintaining an isolator.”
Gnotobiotic Colonies – “Introducing microbiota, common colonizations, and colony maintenance.”
Germ-Free Validation – “Bacteriology and autoclave verification, using chemical, physical, and biological indicators.”
Gnotobiotic Experiments – “Challenges and considerations for experiments in isolators, hoods, and HEPA filtered cages.”

Upcoming workshops

Our next workshop will take place May 8-10, 2024 at the University of Calgary.

Registration has now closed for this workshop. If you’d like to stay updated about any future workshop opportunities through IMPACTT, click the “Stay Updated” button below.

Past workshops

University of Calgary
May 4-5, 2023
See the schedule

University of Calgary
May 30-31, 2022
See the schedule

Workshop Application/Registration & Travel Awards

May 8-10, 2024 at the University of Calgary

Applications and registration will open in early 2024. Because of the hands-on nature of the workshop, space is extremely limited and applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. See the Workshop Application section below for more details.

Registration Options

Participants from Academic Institutions

$400 CAD With Accommodation

Access to all training modules of the workshop (2.5 days)
Three nights of accommodation at a nearby hotel (May 7-9, 2024)
Lunch on first two days of the workshop
Social dinner on May 8, 2024
A completion certificate at the end of the workshop

$200 CAD Without Accommodation

For local attendees
Access to all training modules of the workshop (2.5 days)
Lunch on first two days of the workshop
Social dinner on May 8, 2024
A completion certificate at the end of the workshop

Participants from Industry

$1000 CAD With Accommodation

Access to all training modules of the workshop (2.5 days)
Three nights of accommodation at a nearby hotel (May 7-9, 2024)
Lunch on first two days of the workshop
Social dinner on May 8, 2024
A completion certificate at the end of the workshop

$500 CAD Without Accommodation

For local attendees
Access to all training modules of the workshop (2.5 days)
Lunch on first two days of the workshop
Social dinner on May 8, 2024
A completion certificate at the end of the workshop

Travel Awards

We have a number of travel awards of $500 CAD for eligible participants from Canadian academic institutions. See the Travel Award Application section below for more details.

Consideration for Participation

Participation in this workshop allows entry into our active germ-free facility. Because of this, we have some restrictions for participants.

Participants must not have entered a SPF facility or handled SPF mice in the two weeks prior to the start of the workshop. If you have any questions about your eligibility to participate, please contact us at [email protected].

Workshop Application

Please fill out the registration application form below. Because of the hands-on nature of this workshop, space is extremely limited and applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Once you submit your application, we will review your eligibility and send you a link to complete registration if you are approved. If you don’t get a confirmation email within 2 business days, please email [email protected] to let us know.

Workshop application deadline: 31 March 2024

Travel Award Application

We have multiple travel awards of $500 CAD for eligible participants coming from Canadian academic institutions. Applying for the travel award is optional but recommended if you meet these eligibility requirements. If you have questions, email us at [email protected].

To apply for a travel award, download the application, fill it out, and submit it by emailing it as an attachment to [email protected] with the subject line “Gnotobiotic Workshop Travel Award Application”.

Please do not submit a travel award application until your registration is complete.

Travel award application deadline: 1 April 2024