IMPROVING INSTITUTIONAL ANIMAL CARE FACILITIES

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This proposal for facilities improvement will enable UMAB to undertake much needed renovations, maintenance, and replacement of malfunctioning equipment needed to maintain high quality animal care in support of research funded by PHS and from other agencies. The University of Maryland at Baltimore (UMAB), is a separate campus under the University of Maryland System. The annual research funding involving animal research is in excess of $25 million. Over 132 Principal Investigators use over 26,000 animals per annum and maintain an average daily census of approximately 5,000 research animals. Veterinary Resources at UMAB operates a centralized animal resources program which provides animal ordering, husbandry, management and health care for animal research in facilities are fully accredited by AAALAC. The aims of this proposal are to meet our long term goals of ensuring humane use and care of animals. To accomplish this objective, renovations and repairs are needed to correct deficiencies cited by the USDA and AAALAC; additional animal rooms are needed to accommodate the increasing census being generated by additional investigators and expanding NIH grant support for research that requires animals. The space needs can only be met by renovations to use space more efficiently, and identify space for expansion. Along with the increased numbers of animals is a requirement for additional cages, and of considerable importance, replacement of an obsolete cage washer which is operating inefficiently and is prohibitively expensive in annual maintenance costs with NIH grant support we can rectify current inadequacies and begin to meet the needs of an increasing animal census.