LABSTAMP®
The world’s only automated system to identify mice
Labstamp®
Truly the world’s best method of visually identifying your mice. Better for your science, better for your staff and their productivity and better for the health and welfare of your mice.
- Introduction
- Features
- How it works
- Comparisons
- Customer feedback
Labstamp was launched in 2012 and has since been used to identify over 2 million mice, across more than 300 pre-clinical research organisations in over 15 countries around the world.
Labstamp provides a permanent, visual ID on the tail of mice by applying a choice of up to 3 alpha-numeric characters as tattoos, automatically. Our specially designed font ensures the IDs are consistent, quick and easy to read.
The Labstamp system is so easy to learn, it only takes a few minutes to master and even novice technicians can productively apply the tattoos.
The Labstamp system comes complete with the application system, which you program with your chosen ID value, the restrainer, which keeps the tail in place and ensures the mouse experiences minimal stress plus the tattoo needle and our special TriCell ink slide which contains the specially formulated, irradiated ink.
Our unique, patented design ensures the tattoo ink is precisely applied to the middle of the dermal layer of the tail (225-275m microns / um).
The tattoo ink can be black for albino colonies or UV for non-albino colonies, ensuring the ID is readable for the lifetime of the mouse. Labstamp tattoos each character in about 8 seconds, so the process is also very quick to complete.
First, restrain the mouse using the unique Labstamp restraint. To ensure the ink is tattooed in the mid dermal layer, measure the girth of the tail with the tail gauge provided, and this will confirm which needle and restraint size to use. Lightly apply a little tail oil provided using a cotton swab.
Place the ink slide into the magnetic tail plate, slide holder and place this over the tail. Program the choice of ID needed (alphanumeric and up to 3 characters, which will auto-increment too, if needed) and insert the mouse in the restraint into the portal and press Start.
After 24 seconds (for a 3 character tattoo), the sequence will stop and simply remove the mouse and tail plate, clean off the excess ink with a cotton swab and return the mouse to the cage.
Watch our demo video to see this process in action!
Labstamp was developed to mitigate all the common problems with ear-based identification methods:
No tissue trauma (torn ears)
No more ear tags falling out
No need to treat dermititis
No worries about auricular chondritis
Most of all, no errors in reading the mouse ID correctly and at least 25% quicker to read.
Labstamp is even better than using pen marks on the tail. Unlike Sharpie marks, which you have to re-apply every couple of days, Labstamp’s tattoo is permanent. Apply once and read forever.
If you are already a fan of tattoo identification, switch to using Labstamp rather than manually applied tattoos. Labstamp tattoos are easier to read and anyone in your team can learn to apply them. No more issues if your tattooist is on leave and no more worries about hard to read characters. The automated process used by Labstamp ensures high quality, legible tattoos that last. Labstamp has gained universal IACUC / Ethics approval as a permanent visual ID that does not require anesthesia to apply.
If you’re interested in gaining some customer insights based on their use of Labstamp, please get in touch with us via email on learnmore@somarkinnovations.com and we will be happy to provide this information.
Labstamp was launched in 2012 and has since been used to identify over 2 million mice, across more than 300 pre-clinical research organisations in over 15 countries around the world.
Labstamp provides a permanent, visual ID on the tail of mice by applying a choice of up to 3 alpha-numeric characters as tattoos, automatically. Our specially designed font ensures the IDs are consistent, quick and easy to read.
The Labstamp system is so easy to learn, it only takes a few minutes to master and even novice technicians can productively apply the tattoos.
The Labstamp system comes complete with the application system, which you program with your chosen ID value, the restrainer, which keeps the tail in place and ensures the mouse experiences minimal stress plus the tattoo needle and our special TriCell ink slide which contains the specially formulated, irradiated ink.
Our unique, patented design ensures the tattoo ink is precisely applied to the middle of the dermal layer of the tail (225-275m microns / um).
The tattoo ink can be black for albino colonies or UV for non-albino colonies, ensuring the ID is readable for the lifetime of the mouse. Labstamp tattoos each character in about 8 seconds, so the process is also very quick to complete.
First, restrain the mouse using the unique Labstamp restraint. To ensure the ink is tattooed in the mid dermal layer, measure the girth of the tail with the tail gauge provided, and this will confirm which needle and restraint size to use. Lightly apply a little tail oil provided using a cotton swab.
Place the ink slide into the magnetic tail plate, slide holder and place this over the tail. Program the choice of ID needed (alphanumeric and up to 3 characters, which will auto-increment too, if needed) and insert the mouse in the restraint into the portal and press Start.
After 24 seconds (for a 3 character tattoo), the sequence will stop and simply remove the mouse and tail plate, clean off the excess ink with a cotton swab and return the mouse to the cage.
Watch our demo video to see this process in action!
Labstamp was developed to mitigate all the common problems with ear-based identification methods:
No tissue trauma (torn ears)
No more ear tags falling out
No need to treat dermititis
No worries about auricular chondritis
Most of all, no errors in reading the mouse ID correctly and at least 25% quicker to read.
Labstamp is even better than using pen marks on the tail. Unlike Sharpie marks, which you have to re-apply every couple of days, Labstamp’s tattoo is permanent. Apply once and read forever.
If you are already a fan of tattoo identification, switch to using Labstamp rather than manually applied tattoos. Labstamp tattoos are easier to read and anyone in your team can learn to apply them. No more issues if your tattooist is on leave and no more worries about hard to read characters. The automated process used by Labstamp ensures high quality, legible tattoos that last. Labstamp has gained universal IACUC / Ethics approval as a permanent visual ID that does not require anesthesia to apply.
If you’re interested in gaining some customer insights based on their use of Labstamp, please get in touch with us via email on learnmore@somarkinnovations.com and we will be happy to provide this information.
Watch Labstamp® in action
Labstamp® questions answered…
Labstamp has been designed to eliminate all the problems with ear identification, pen or paint marking and manually tattoos. The tattoos applied by Labstamp require no technical skills or experience. The tattoo can be any number or alphabet character combination and are quick and easy to read. You can read the ID on the tail while the animal is in the cage and you do not even need to pick them up. A Labstamp tattoo is permanent: they do not fall out, get torn, get licked off or need re-application.
No. Labstamp is actually better for the welfare of the mouse. It avoids tissue trauma (common with ear notching and ear tags), dermatitis, auricular chondritis and because it is so easy to read, requires the mouse to be handled less, which reduces stress.rnrnThe restraint and tattoo process takes less than 30 seconds, so the discomfort experienced by the mouse is very short and not lasting. Plus there are not side-effects from the tattoo. With over 2 million mice from over 20 different strains tattooed with Labstamp, no customer has reported any health issues arising from this ID method.
Yes. We offer a specially adapted version of Labstamp called ELI (Early Life Identification) which can provide a 2 character tattoo on mice as young as 14 days old. Even tattoos applied to pups can be read into adulthood and the lifetime of the mouse. Labstamp and ELI is widely used for C57BL/6 strains and also agouti strains. Some customers use our black ink; others prefer to tattoo with our UV Green ink, which displays clearly when a UV light is shone on the tail.
Labstamp®
Why choose Labstamp® for lab rodent identification?
There are several methods available for rodent identification, choosing the right method to suit your laboratory however requires careful consideration. In most cases, data integrity and the improved accuracy of research data become a priority. Additional considerations must also include the welfare of the rodents and the compliance with regulatory standards which govern their protection.
Labstamp is a chosen method of rodent identification which assists in efficient lab animal management, as colonies become more traceable. This is achieved through more efficient read distances and more reliable identifications as the 3-digit alpha-characters are permanent and clear. Identification is just one example of laboratory workflows that can be streamlined through permanent tail tattoos.
Accurate and reliable rodent identification goes on to bring benefits to the preclinical research sector, from accelerated drug candidate journeys to assisting with the advancements in modern medicine.