Improvements to Building T Animal Facility

描述（由申请人提供）：SRI国际是一家非营利性研究机构，目前每年在nih资助的生物医学研究中执行约2000万美元。使用动物进行研究的主要领域包括神经生物学、癌症、传染病、毒理学、药代动力学和药理学。自1974年以来，我们的动物设施一直获得AAALAC的认可。SRI正在申请资金来改善我们在T楼的动物设施，那里主要饲养啮齿动物和兔子。目前的T号楼动物设施建于1962年，笼子清洗设施效率非常低，没有足够的空间存放干净的动物笼子和用品，也没有区域对非啮齿动物进行生存手术。在实际动物数量方面，越来越迫切需要容纳更多的研究，以及更多有特殊需要的研究，如生存手术、免疫缺陷动物、基因操纵啮齿动物，以及需要生物、化学和放射性危害控制措施的动物研究。该计划有3个具体目标：(1)cage - wash扩展。我们将通过拆除相邻房间的墙壁来扩大现有的T-Building洗笼区，从而将现有可用空间增加一倍左右。我们将用一个新的隧道/笼子清洗装置取代一个30多年的隧道洗衣机，并安装一个双门高压灭菌器，适用于对涉及生物有害物质或免疫功能受损动物的笼子和架子进行消毒。(2)手术室。我们将新建一间三室无菌手术室。该套房将毗邻现有的洗手间区域，以简化准备/更衣，并将包括准备（162平方英尺），手术（440平方英尺）和恢复（225平方英尺）的房间。(3)笼/架存储区。我们将建立一个新的，干净的笼子和货架储存区，紧挨着新的笼子清洗区。我们动物设施的改进将大大提高我们动物设施的整体能力、能力和质量，并将直接使21个资助的NIH项目和30个正在申请的NIH使用实验动物的项目受益。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): SRI International is a nonprofit research institute that currently performs ~$20M in NIH-funded biomedical research each year. Major areas of research that use animals include neurobiology, cancer, infectious disease, toxicology, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacology. Our animal facilities have been continuously accredited by AAALAC since 1974. SRI is requesting funds for enhancement of our animal facilities in Building T, which houses primarily rodents and rabbits. The present Building T animal facility, built in 1962, has a very inefficient cage wash facility, does not have adequate storage space for clean animal cages and supplies, and does not have an area to perform survival surgical procedures on non-rodent mammals. There are growing urgent needs to accommodate more studies in terms of actual numbers of animals as well as more studies with special needs such as survival surgery, immunodeficient animals, genetically manipulated rodents, and animal studies requiring biological, chemical, and radiological hazard containment practices. This program has 3 Specific Aims: (1) Cagewash Expansion. We will expand our current T-Building cagewash area by removing the wall to the adjoining room, thereby approximately doubling the current space available. We will replace a 30+ year old tunnel washer with a new tunnel/cage washing unit and install a double-doored autoclave suitable for sterilizing cages and racks for applications involving biohazardous agents or immunocompromised animals. (2) Surgery Suite. We will construct a new 3-room aseptic surgery suite. The suite will adjoin the existing restroom area for simplicity of preparation/gowning and will consist of preparation (162 ft2), surgery (440 ft2), and recovery (225 ft2) rooms. (3) Cage/Rack Storage Area. We will build a new, clean storage area for cages and racks immediately adjacent to the new cage wash area. The improvements to our animal facility will greatly enhance the overall capabilities, capacity, and quality of our animal facility and will directly benefit the 21 funded NIH projects and 30 pending NIH applications that use laboratory animals.