Laboratory Mouse Identification and Inventory Control

描述（由申请人提供）：实验室小鼠是现代生物医学研究的重要实验资源。美国国立卫生研究院每年支持对数百种小鼠和数百万只动物进行校内和校外研究。小鼠的繁殖和维护成本是许多研究项目的主要组成部分，每年超过4000万美元。因此，提高维持研究小鼠的效率对NIH特别有价值，因为它们可以在许多单独的研究工作中提供经常性的成本节约。鼠标识别和库存控制系统还没有发展到满足现有的需求。因此，小鼠的使用效率往往很低，购买、饲养、圈养和不必要地治疗了过多的动物。同样重要的是，没有记录的、丢失的或错误识别的动物可能会危及有价值的实验。第二阶段STTR拟议的工作将产生一个低成本的，集成的库存系统，用于连续，自动化监测个别研究小鼠。零售商店、医院和航运公司中的现有库存控制系统很容易在复杂、动态的环境中跟踪单个单元。因此，库存系统的广泛的工程基础设施是现成的。该项目将调整现有库存系统的组成部分，并开发新技术，以应对老鼠识别，库存和维护的独特挑战。从STTR第一阶段开发的成功原型开始，将生产一个完整的商业系统，以满足小鼠饲养设施、动物处理人员、兽医和研究人员的要求。具体目标详细说明了该系统要开发的四个主要工程组件：（1）用于个体动物的永久性、廉价的射频识别标签;（2）与动物处理环境兼容的射频自动读取器;（3）用于将标签快速和人道地贴在个体小鼠上的工具;以及（4）与动物设施、兽医和研究调查者的需要相兼容的库存数据库和查询结构。这些组件将在模拟和实际鼠标操作环境的背景下开发，从而实现快速原型设计和故障排除。完整的集成系统将在当地可用的鼠标室设施中进行广泛测试。在测试之后，库存控制系统将被制造并出售给动物饲养和圈养设施，以及各个科学研究小组。公共卫生相关性：实验室动物是NIH研究中人类健康和疾病的关键模型。动物研究的质量和有效管理影响着许多NIH研究所和中心的项目。动物库存的改善对于控制和完善小鼠研究成本以及最大限度地减少生产和维持的动物数量至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The laboratory mouse is an essential experimental resource for modern biomedical research. The National Institutes of Health supports intramural and extramural research on hundreds of strains of mice and millions of individual animals each year. The cost of mouse breeding and maintenance is a major component of many research programs and surpasses $40 million annually. Consequently, improvements in the efficiency of maintaining research mice are especially valuable to NIH, since they can provide recurring cost savings across many individual research efforts. Mouse identification and inventory control systems have not advanced to meet the existing demand. As a result, mice are often used inefficiently, with excess animals purchased, bred, housed, and treated unnecessarily. Of equal importance, undocumented, lost, or incorrectly identified animals can compromise valuable experiments. The Phase II STTR proposed work will produce a low-cost, integrated inventory system for the continuous, automated monitoring of individual research mice. Existing inventory control systems in retail stores, hospitals, and shipping firms readily track individual units in complex, dynamic environments. Consequently, an extensive engineering infrastructure for inventory system are readily available. The project will adapt components of existing inventory systems and develop novel technologies to the unique challenges of mouse identification, inventory, and maintenance. Working from successful prototypes developed in the STTR Phase I, a complete commercial system will be produced that satisfies the requirements of mouse housing facilities, animal-handling staff, veterinarians, and research investigators. The Specific Aims detail the four primary engineering components to be developed for the system: (1) permanent, inexpensive radio-frequency identification labels for individual animals; (2) radio-frequency automated readers that are compatible with animal handling environments; (3) tools for the rapid and humane attachment of labels onto individual mice; and (4) an inventory database and query structure compatible with the needs of animal facilities, veterinarians, and research investigators. The components will be developed in the context of both modeled and actual mouse handling environments, allowing rapid prototyping and trouble-shooting. The complete, integrated system will be extensively tested in locally- available mouse room facilities. Following testing, the inventory control system will be manufactured and sold to animal breeding and housing facilities, as well as to individual scientific research groups. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Laboratory animals serve as critical models of human health and disease in NIH research. The quality and efficient management of animal research influences programs across many NIH Institutes and Centers. Improvements in animal inventory are essential for the control and refinement of mouse research costs, as well as minimizing the number of animals that are produced and maintained.