Alterations and Renovations

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The Northern New England Clinical and Translational Research Network (NNE-CTR) is comprised of the MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Research Institute (MMCRI), the University of Vermont (UVM) and the University of Southern Maine (USM). These institutions have a strong track record of translational research and innovation in healthcare. Critical to the success of translational research is the availability of preclinical animal models to identify disease mechanisms, and test drugs or other therapeutic approaches before moving into the clinic. MMCRI has a strong mouse genome modification resource that has developed mouse models of disease for over 15 years, and has been at the forefront of mouse genome modification using CRISPR-Cas technologies. This resource is supported by an American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care accredited, state-of-the-art animal facility that houses mice and rats. The NNE-CTR supports, in part, the Mouse Genome Modification Resource at MMCRI, which is accessible to all NNE-CTR members, as well as non-members, COBRE supported investigators, and regional investigators. The high demand for the generation of sophisticated mouse models of human disease by NNE-CTR members and other regional translational researchers, combined with new faculty recruitment at MMCRI and increased use of animal models by current faculty, has resulted in the need to expand animal housing space in our barrier animal facility at MMCRI. The proposed renovation will convert a storage room into an additional mouse housing room, and convert space adjacent to the animal facility into a storage area. The renovation to create a new mouse housing room will require extensive changes to the HVAC system, and moving doors to bring the new animal room inside the barrier portion of the animal facility. The expansion will accommodate housing of new mouse models developed for NNE-CTR members, as well as other translational investigators in the region. By expanding mouse housing facilities, both the generation of new mouse models and the experimental protocols to investigate these new mouse models will be advanced more rapidly and cost-effectively.