IMPROVING ANIMAL RESOURCES FOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

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Wake Forest University (WFU) is a major biomedical research institution which sponsors 385 grants and contracts valued at more than $27 million dollars. Approximately half of all NIH supported projects at WFU use experimental animals. The Animal Resources Program (ARP) of WFU provides procurement, housing and care of all animals used in research, teaching and testing programs of the University. Currently, 150 investigators conducting 266 research projects with an aggregate value of $15.3 million dollars are supported by the ARP. Of 72,000 SF of animal resource space managed by the ARP, approximately 42,000 SF are located in buildings with architectural and mechanical characteristics which are unacceptable for contemporary animal research. This project will advance the quality of biomedical research at WFU by improving the ARP through the following specific aims. (1) Improve the environmental characteristics of 12,000 square feet (SF) of multipurpose animal resource space in the 25 year old Gray building to achieve compliance with standards of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals ("Guide") (DHEW Publication Number (NIH) 78-23, revised 1978) and meet the needs of WFU investigators. (2) Renovate 1,400 SF of animal resource space in the Gray building to isolate sheep used in perinatal biology research which will reduce exposure of personnel to zoonotic Q-fever. (3) Renovate seven primate housing buildings constructed between 1963 and 1977 (20,650 SF) to improve environmental characteristic, for housing 839 subhuman primates, many of which comprise a national resource colony. (4) Improve the 25 year old care and use facilities of an international resource pigeon colony of 1,200 birds. (5) Renovate a 6,000 SF dog housing facility and a 1,750 SF multipurpose facility on the Reynolda campus. (6) Purchase equipment necessary to (a) implement rigorous barrier maintenance of microbiologically defined rodents and rabbits, (b) improve housing of dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and swine, (c) enhance the operation of diet preparation and cage sanitation facilities, and (d) improve emergency, preoperative, and postoperative care of animals.