Nonhuman Primate Primary Housing Units for Animal Services Building 3

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The ONPRC requests funds to purchase primary housing units (cages and racks), psychological enrichment devices (play pens, porches and tunnels) and other related equipment used in housing non-human primates (NHPs). Our objectives are to provide housing for NHPs involved in NIH-sponsored AIDS-related research. The primary housing units will be installed in a newly constructed animal housing and support facility called Animal Services Building 3 (ASB3, approximately 35,000 sq. ft). With the expansion of research programs and the number of NHPs assigned to research projects, the need for NHP housing at the ONPRC has continued to grow. The ONPRC has been successful in obtaining NIH construction grants and institutional funds to greatly expand its animal housing facilities. ASB3 is the third addition to the original ASB and will add an additional 900 housing spaces for NHPs in cages and small group housing units. Many of the animals to be housed in ASB3 will be used in support of our AIDS-related research program. Our SPF Indian-orgin rhesus breeding colony has reached 2,060 NHPs and the expanded SPF program continues to grow. These animals are used in the infectious disease and immunology studies, and many will be housed in ASB3. In order to continue to expand our AIDS-related research programs, it is essential that sufficient cage space be available. The primary housing units requested in this proposal will allow the ONPRC to fully occupy the new ASB3 facility and house SPF NHPs under state-of-the-art conditions in an enhanced social environment. The ONPRC has been at the forefront in increasing the social environment of NHPs housed at the Center. The awarding of this G20 application will allow the ONPRC to have approximately 90% of the entire NHP colony in an enhanced social environment. The following aims are proposed in this grant: Specific Aim 1: Purchase 50 mobile stainless steel racks designed to hold four 4.5 sq. ft. cages each (200 total cages). Specific Aim 2: Purchase equipment to enrich the social environment, including mobile play pens for group housing, and tunnels and porches that attach to the cages. Specific Aim 3: Purchase additional equipment, including transfer boxes and capture tunnels for moving monkeys between cages or playpens, and blood collection stations.