Subject model

Table of contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Fields
    1. Procedures data fields
    2. Subject logs data fields
    3. Cohorts data fields
    4. Breedings data fields
  3. Permissions
  4. API access

Introduction

The subjects model describes your animal subject through a set of standard fields. Flexibility is built in through a rich text description field, extra fields, and tags. Subject-related records can be further described through:

  1. Procedures: Experimental or husbandry interventions associated with a subject (for example surgeries, injections, or handling protocols).
  2. Subject logs: Time-stamped notes and tracked observations for a subject (for example weight changes, health checks, and routine monitoring).
  3. Breedings: Parent pairing records (dam/sire) and litter-level metadata linked to offspring subjects.
  4. Cohorts: Project-level groupings of subjects used for organization, filtering, and analysis.

Fields

FieldDescription
Subject nameName of the subject (required; string; maximum length: 100 characters; must be unique across BrainSTEM). Example: “Mouse_01”, “Rat_2024_A”
ProjectsProjects the subject belongs to (required). Can belong to multiple projects. Example: Added to both “Memory Study” and “Aging Study”. Learn more about project inheritance here.
SexSex of the animal: (Male, Female, or Unknown; required). Selected from predefined choices. Example: “Female”
StatusCurrent participation status in research activities. Choices: planned, active, inactive, transferred, deceased, unknown (default: active).
SpeciesSpecies is derived from the selected strain (not a direct field on Subject). Please add in taxonomies section if not available. Example: “Mus musculus”
StrainStrain of the subject (required). Please add in taxonomies section if not available. Example: “C57BL/6J”
DescriptionA rich text description of the subject. Example: “Male C57BL/6J mouse, exhibits normal behavior…”
Genetic lineGenetic line of the subject. Could also be wild type (string; maximum length: 100 characters). Example: “Wild type” or “PV-Cre”
GenotypeConfirmed genotype of the subject (string; maximum length: 200 characters). Example: “PV-Cre/wt; Ai32/wt”
Birth dateBirth date of the animal subject (date format YYYY-MM-DD). Example: “2023-03-22”
Death dateDeath date of the animal subject (date format YYYY-MM-DD). Example: “2024-03-25”
BreedingThe breeding from which this subject was born. Must reference an existing breeding.
TagsTags for the subject. Great for organizational purposes, quick labeling, and filtering. Example: “control-group”, “lesion”
Subject identifierAny identifier used for this subject outside of BrainSTEM, such as an ear tag or RFID number (string; maximum length: 100 characters). Example: “Ear tag #A1234”
SupplierSource/supplier of the subject. Must reference an existing supplier. Example: “Charles River”, “The Jackson Laboratory”, “In-house breeding”
LicensesLicenses covering this subject for regulatory reporting and compliance. Can include multiple licenses.
Subject name used in data storageUse this field if you have another name for your subject in your local data storage (string; maximum length: 200 characters). Example: “M01_2024_exp3”
Additional fieldsAllows you to add additional fields to the subject. Values can be strings or numeric. Example: {“Weight”: “25g”, “Litter”: “A3”}

Procedures data fields

Please see the dedicated page describing the Procedures data model.

Subject logs data fields

Please see the dedicated page describing the Subject logs data model.

Cohorts data fields

Please see the dedicated page describing the Cohorts data model.

Breedings data fields

Please see the dedicated page describing the Breedings data model.

Permissions

Subjects inherit permissions from projects associated with them. Procedures, Subject logs, and Procedure logs all inherit permissions through the subject.

Visit the permissions page to learn more.

API access

The API allows for programmable access to subjects. Learn more about the subjects’ fields and data structure on the Subject API page.