Metabolic Research Animal Facility

描述（由申请方提供）：研究动物机构（RAF）是在杰克逊实验室（JAX）进行的研究的中心。JAX的主要研究人员目前拥有138个奖项，每年使用小鼠进行研究，总额超过4790万美元。RAF最古老的部分可以追溯到1947年，并且随着研究需求的变化，小鼠饲养实践的发展以及定义健康状态的重要性得到认可而进行了修改。在过去的10年里，JAX已经投入了近600万美元来改进RAF，以适应这些变化。哺乳动物遗传学/基因组学的新兴趋势继续推动JAX小鼠使用模式的变化。首先，JAX开发了用于建模人类基因组变异的新小鼠模型，并在大型中心赠款支持的核心资源群落中维护。研究人员使用这些菌落来识别参与各种复杂性状的基因座，然后保持较小的个体菌落来细化图谱位置，识别和验证候选基因。第二，许多JAX研究人员正在使用更小的特定突变小鼠群体来对各种生物和分子过程进行功能分析。第三，必须在人体组织中验证人类疾病的功能评估和潜在治疗干预。JAX开创的免疫功能低下小鼠宿主的进展使各种人体组织的长期移植成为可能。所有这些研究应用都需要1）高屏障动物饲养室，其中实验小鼠的健康状态可以持续保持，以及2）灵活的程序空间，其中可以评估表型，进行实验操作和收集组织。一个跨机构规划委员会为皇家空军制定了一项长期计划，以满足这些需求和其他预期需求。该提案要求为该计划的第一步提供部分资金。JAX将承诺提供机构资金，预计总额超过95万美元，以完成该项目。随着RAF中单个小鼠群体的平均大小减少，JAX可以重新配置空间，以提供更灵活的手术空间，并修改现有的动物收容室，以允许作为高屏障进行操作。为实现这一目标，我们建议：1）通过购买和配备单独通风（PIV）笼系统和通风换电站，将20号楼的2845和2835室升级为高屏障。一个专用的干净走廊，通过现有的空气净化器装备的人员入口/出口锁进入，将为这些房间提供服务。2)通过创建和装备三个总计455平方英尺的手术室来扩大手术室空间。这些房间的设计提供了最大的使用灵活性，以适应日益复杂和专业的研究程序。两个房间将配备Baker NCB-D4垂直流生物安全柜。其中一个将配备移动的工作站，以最大限度地灵活配置。该项目将由约翰菲茨帕特里克，体育，设施服务高级总监，将担任设施人员/项目经理。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Research Animal Facility (RAF) is central to the research conducted at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX). JAX principal investigators currently hold 138 awards totaling over $47.9 million annually for research using mice. The oldest portion of the RAF dates from 1947, and has been modified ever since as research needs changed, mouse husbandry practices evolved and the importance of defined health status was recognized. In the past 10 years, JAX has made nearly $6 million in improvements to the RAF to accommodate these changes. Emerging trends in mammalian genetics/genomics continue to drive change in patterns of mouse use at JAX. First, new mouse models for modeling human genomic variation have been developed at JAX, and are maintained in core resource colonies supported by large center grants. Researchers use these colonies to identify loci participating in a variety of complex traits, and then maintain smaller, individual colonies to refine map positions, identify and validate candidate genes. Second, many JAX investigators are using smaller colonies of specialty mutant strains of mice to conduct functional analyses on a variety of biological and molecular processes. Third, functional assessments and potential therapeutic interventions for human disease must be verified in human tissues. Advances in immunocompromised mouse hosts pioneered at JAX enable long-term engraftment of a variety of human tissues. All of these research applications require 1) high barrier animal holding rooms where the health status of experimental mice can be consistently maintained, and 2) flexible procedure space where phenotypes can be assessed, experimental manipulations performed, and tissues collected. A cross-institutional planning committee has developed a long-range plan for the RAF to meet these and other anticipated needs. This proposal requests partial funding for the first step in this plan. JAX will commit institutional funds, expected to total over $950,000, to complete the project. As the average size of individual mouse colonies maintained in the RAF decreases, JAX can reconfigure space to provide more flexible procedure space and modify existing animal holding rooms to allow operation as high barriers. To meet this objective, we propose to: 1) upgrade rooms 2845 and 2835 in Building 20 to high barriers, by purchasing and outfitting them with positively individually ventilated (PIV) caging system and ventilated changing stations. A dedicated clean corridor accessed via an existing air shower-equipped personnel entry/exit lock will service these rooms. 2) expand procedure room space by creating and equipping three procedure rooms totaling 455 ft2. The rooms are designed to offer maximum flexibility of use to accommodate increasingly complex and specialized research procedures. Two rooms will be equipped with Baker NCB-D4 Vertical Flow Biological Safety Cabinets. One will be furnished with mobile workstations to maximize flexible configuration. The project will be overseen by John Fitzpatrick, P.E., Senior Director of Facilities Services, who will serve as Facilities Person/Project Manager.