UMD ANIMAL SERVICES RESEARCH IMPROVEMENT GRANT

明尼苏达大学德卢斯分校医学院

The University of Minnesota-Duluth, School of Medicine, Department of Animal Services is requesting funds to aid in the replacement and alteration of cage washing equipment and facilities and the resurfacing of deteriorating floor surfaces in the UMD School of Medicine animal holding facilities. This request is part of the University of Minnesota's ongoing efforts to provide a sound basis for research and to meet the standards set forth in the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Animals, the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. The UMD Animal Services facility is currently FULLY ACCREDITED by AAALAC, but is reaching a point of deterioration whereby this rating may be in jeopardy. The UMD School of Medicine Building is beginning to age and several items are now in need of replacement and repair. We are in need of one Cesco Model 40FB48 Large Cage Washer, one Cesco Model GWCR 48B45 Small Cage & Bottle Washer and a Labgard Model N40811 Reverse Horizontal Flow Safety Cabinet. Cage Washer replacements are needed to wash cages and related equipment in the UMD School of Medicine Animal facility because the current equipment breaks down frequently and new parts are either no longer available or economically feasible. The Safety Cabinet is needed to provide a more sanitary method of scraping feces and bedding from dirty cages without contaminating clean cages and/or workers. Proposed alteration and renovation of the cage washing area will provide for separation of "clean" vs "dirty" caging via separate entrance/exits and storage areas instead of the single 'shared' access currently being used. Deficiencies in building design which have contributed to inadequate ventilation will also be corrected. The proposed changes and acquisitions will ensure continued compliance with established research animal care and use guidelines in addition to correcting deficiencies in both building construction and UMD Animal Services procedures for health monitoring and disease prevention in the major sanitizing area in the facility.