IMPROVING ANIMAL RESOURCES

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A new era of biomedical research excellence for the new millennium at the UHM has largely been made possible by the continued support from the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program of the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR). Improvements made in the research environment through RCMI funding have dramatically enhanced the competitiveness of UHM faculty to leverage additional federal support for research in HIV and AIDS, neuroscience, pathobiology matrix, and reproductive biology. A continuing need is to upgrade animal facilities for the proper care of laboratory animals used in biomedical and biobehavorial research. In a previous application (1G20RR16999) now under final review by NCRR, UHM requested funds to renovate the cage wash area and to replace the cage washing equipment in the Biomedical Sciences Building (BSB), in order to comply with the Guide and relevant codes of the Animal Welfare Act. The current application represents a request for supplemental funds to improve animal resources in support of RCMI-funded projects and other biomedical, behavioral research, and training projects funded by the PHS. Targeted improvements will be made by the following specific aims: 1) replace a failing incinerator with an alkaline-hydrolysis tissue-digestion unit for the proper disposal of animal carcasses and preserved tissue wastes for four of the five core animal facilities which support biomedical and behavioral research at UHM; 2) develop a rodent surgical suite to support RCMI- and other PHS-supported projects involving animal-survival surgery; and 3) install vented caging systems to expand the rodent-holding capacity and to enhance the flexibility of the core biomedical and behavioral research animal facilities for PHS-funded projects.