DEVELOPING AND IMPROVING ANIMAL RESOURCES

描述(由申请人提供)： VCU是美国最大的学术健康中心之一，由最古老的医学院之一以及牙科、药房、联合健康和护理学院组成。弗吉尼亚州立大学已经进入了一个显著的研究增强期，加强大学的研究质量和能力是一项主要的机构目标。在2000-2001年间，VCU的PHS资金增长了19%，因此，VCU医学院在国家卫生研究院(NIH)医学院排名中上升了四位。距离2001-2002财政年度还有四周的时间，有迹象表明，今年的资金将增长约25%。随着研究项目的增加，正在招聘新的以研究为导向的教员，这将增加研究所的研究能力。目前，VCU分散了动物护理，并使用资源支持其主要由NIH资助的健康科学研究。NIH支持VCU的几个主要动物研究项目，包括转基因和基因敲除小鼠核心、免疫毒理学实验室、药物滥用研究中心、分子生物学核心实验室、癫痫研究中心和头部损伤研究中心。主要的动物住宅区和支持服务分布在七个设施中，这是许多研究型大学常见的情况。这些动物研究基础设施大部分是在十多年前安装的，大型共享设备，如洗罐机，是在12到20年前购买的。这些项目现在迫切需要更换，特别是考虑到NIH资助的动物研究的快速增长。这项申请将使用国家研究资源中心(NCRR)的资金来购买和安装三个笼式垫圈、一个隧道垫圈、一个高压灭菌器真空抽气系统和十个更换笼子的塑料鼠笼机架单元。VCU将提供配套的机构资金，用于购买和安装两个高压灭菌器、一个笼式垫圈、一个隧道垫圈和18个更换笼子的塑料老鼠笼机架单元。VCU正处于其研究史上的一个重要转折点，并寻求在未来五年内成为排名前75位的研究型大学之一。已经提供了机构资金，以促进研究的增长。这场NCRR竞争提供了一个利用这些资金的机会。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): VCU is one of the nation's largest academic health centers, comprising one of the oldest schools of medicine as well as schools of dentistry, pharmacy, allied health, and nursing. VCU has entered a period of significant research enhancement, and strengthening the research quality and capability of the University is a primary institutional objective. During the 2000-2001 year, VCU's PHS-funding grew by 19 percent and, as a result, the school of medicine rose four places in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) ranking of medical schools. With four weeks yet to go in the 2001-2002 fiscal year, indications are that funding this year will grow by about 25 percent. With the growth in the research programs, new research-oriented faculty are being recruited who will add to the research capacity of the Institution. Currently, VCU has decentralized animal care and use resources to support its largely NIH-funded health sciences research. The NIH supports several major animal research initiatives at VCU, including a Transgenic and Knockout Mouse Core, an Immunotoxicology Laboratory, the Center for Drug Abuse Research, Molecular Biology Core Laboratory, Epilepsy Research Center, and Head Injury Research Center. The principal animal housing areas and support services are spread among seven facilities, a situation common to many research universities. Much of this animal research infrastructure was installed more than a decade ago, and large shared pieces of equipment such as cagewashers were purchased 12 to 20 years ago. These items are now in urgent need of replacement, particularly in light of the rapid growth in NIH-funded animal research. This application will use National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) funding to purchase and install three cage washers, one tunnel washer, one autoclave vacuum evacuation system, and ten plastic rat cage rack units with change of cages. VCU will provide matching institutional funds to purchase and install two autoclaves, one cage washer, one tunnel washer, and 18 plastic mouse cage rack units with change of cages. VCU is at a major transition point in its research history and seeks to become one of the top 75 research universities within the next five years. Institutional funds have been made available to facilitate growth in research. This NCRR competition provides an opportunity to leverage these funds.