Modernization of the UTHSC Animal Care Facility

UTHSC 动物护理设施的现代化

• 批准号: 10533520
• 负责人: David John Hamilton
• 金额: $ 32.05万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCI CTR
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-07-01 至 2023-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10533520
• 关键词: Affect; Animal Experimentation; Animal Housing; Animal Welfare; Animals; Biotechnology; Canis familiaris; Cities; Data Collection; Drowning; Equipment; Family suidae; Floods; Foundations; Funding; Goat; Grant; Health Sciences; Health care facility; Housing; Human Resources; Individual; Injury; Laboratories; Laboratory Animals; Maintenance; Medical; Methods; Modernization; Monitor; Mus; Notification; Ownership; Principal Investigator; Research; Risk; Rodent; Safety; Savings; Services; Solid; Stainless Steel; System; Tennessee; Time; Translating; Universities; Variant; Vendor; Water; Water Supply; Work; animal care; animal facility; biopharmaceutical industry; cost; design; drinking; drinking water; experience; falls; improved; microbial; nonhuman primate; novel; operation; pressure; prevent; sound; square foot; stem; water flow; water quality; water testing

The Laboratory Animal Care Unit (LACU) is 1 of 9 institutional cores within the UTHSC Office of Research and is responsible for providing all laboratory animal services and regulatory oversight for the UTHSC campus across 6 animal facilities. The LACU supports the animal research needs of 120 active principal investigators (PIs) on the UTHSC campus. The newest animal facility addition to the campus is the UTHSC Animal Care Facility (UACF), which was constructed in 2012 by a local foundation and purchased by UTHSC in 2021.The facility currently supports the animal research needs of 19 UTHSC PIs, and 1 local biotechnology company, with funding and grants totaling $41,248,674. It also is the primary animal facility where work with large animals (pigs, dogs, non-human primates, goats etc.) can be performed. While the facility is of sound design and quality, several features are missing that are standard in modern animal facilities. The primary deficiency is an automated animal watering system (AWS) which, as a result, obligates the use of individual cage water bottles (for rodents) or water bowls/troughs (for larger animals). This creates increased labor costs associated with the filling, cleaning, cage placement and monitoring of water bottles by both animal facility and research staff. An AWS delivers a more consistent water supply throughout the facility, thus reducing potential variability from animal to animal which would affect data collection. Automated watering systems also have built in alarms, which send notification should an increase in the water flow amount be detected, which indicates the presence of an active leak. These leaks can then be corrected, thus preventing loss of animals due to drowning within a cage. In contrast, an alarm system is not possible when providing water bottles, and the use of water bottles for rodents is associated with more instances of cage flooding and animal welfare concerns. The use of an AWS is associated with decreased water and energy requirements, and a reduced risk of ergonomic injuries in personnel. Finally, an AWS also provides a considerable savings in labor costs, and frees up time for technicians to devote to other important duties related to animal care.

实验动物护理单位（LACU）是UTHSC办公室的9个机构核心之一