Air Quality Improvements of The Animal Facility

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Schepens Eye Research Institute is a major center for vision research affiliated with the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. The mission of The Schepens is to conduct research that will lead to understanding the mechanisms of diseases that cause visual dysfunction and blindness. In order to achieve this goal, the faculty uses and creates a variety of laboratory animal models that are essential for studying the pathogenesis and treatment pf a diverse group of ocular diseases. Maintaining these laboratory animals is vital to the success of this research. For this reason, our animal facility must conform to the highest standards and provide a first-rate program for: housing, caging, maintaining the animal environment, and providing veterinary medical care. This application supports renovations to the Animal Facility that improve: (i) the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and (ii) provide special caging for rodents that will compliment the barrier/containment housing. There are 2 specific aims. Aim 1 will install new ductwork and louvers for the newly installed HVAC 25,000 cfm rooftop unit. This duct system will provide: (i) better air control and distribution within the facility, (ii) improved ventilation patterns in animal rooms, and (iii) better control of temperature and humidity in individual animal rooms. The combined HVAC and duct system will provide routine maintenance of positive and negative pressure within animal rooms and zones within the facility. The Animal Facility's existing Siemens Environmental Monitoring System will be adapted to the new air distribution system. Aim 2 will provide 12 new Micro-ventilated mouse cage racks that will maximize the use of animal housing space, and improve air quality within cages and surrounding rooms. As a result of these improvements, the animal care and use program at The Schepens will operate in a manner that exceeds many provisions of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. This will significantly improve the quality of vision research conducted by the Faculty at the Schepens.