ANIMAL FACILITY IMPROVEMENT

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Presently, 60 individual research projects which require the use of laboratory animals are conducted by 30 investigators at The Salk Institute. These projects, with annual direct costs totalling $7,913,459, include studies in cancer research; molecular, developmental, and systems neurobiology; endocrinology; developmental biology and immunology. In 1988, a comprehensive effort was initiated by the Institute to better support the needs of existing and projected animal research projects, to better comply with provisions of the Animal Welfare Act and PHS policies related to laboratory animal care and use, and to enable the Institute to become AAALAC accredited. Over the past three years, significant improvements have been made in both the animal facilities and the veterinary care and animal husbandry programs to achieve these objectives. PHS support will be needed, however, for the following necessary alterations and renovations of the Cancer Research Animal Facility (CRAF) and equipment purchases to bring the overall objectives for the Institute's animal research programs to fruition. 1. Ensure effective and routine sanitization and/or sterilization by installing one new cage and rack washer, one new cage and bottle washer, one new floor loading autoclave and one new chlori-flush station to upgrade the existing cagewashing area; installing new bumper guards to protect exposed wall surfaces; and purchasing new portable stainless steel racks for holding rat and mouse cages. 2. Improve air quality and minimize cross contamination by installing a new main exhaust duct and new exhaust dampers, adjusting the pitch of fan blades and rebalancing the air supply and exhaust to achieve an acceptable number of room air changes/hour and correct air flow patterns. 3. Establish a centrally managed surgery area that meets NIH standards and the needs of investigators by providing staffing and equipping a centrally located surgery area for major survival surgery on rats, cats and monkeys. 4. Minimize the potential for introducing pathogens into established animal colonies by providing a quarantine area with two animal cubicles and 1 HEPA-filtered biological safety cabinet that is adjacent to, but physically separate from, other animal housing rooms; and purchasing five additional HEPA-filtered laminar flow workbenches to ensure maintenance of the Viral-Antibody-Free status of transgenic and immunodeficient mice (radiation chimeras, SCID and nu/nu) when changing sterilized microisolator cages and performing minor experimental procedures. 5. Meet NIH and USDA standards for housing cats and monkeys and enhance their psychological well-being by replacing existing caging with new stainless steel cages.