Specialized Mouse Housing for a Rodent Behavioral Phenotyping Core Facility

描述（由申请人提供）：行为神经科学是洛克菲勒研究人员的重点和优先领域。2006年，该大学承诺大力投资和加强啮齿动物行为研究的基础设施。32356平方英尺的比较生物科学中心（CBC）附属大楼于2009年12月完工，耗资3600万美元。这座三层半的建筑战略性地毗邻一个五层97,000平方英尺的中央动物园，使CBC附属建筑与中央动物园相邻。洛克菲勒大学（RU）申请资金，在新建的CBC附属大楼内，紧邻啮齿动物行为表型核心（BPC）设施建立专门的老鼠住房。这个专门的老鼠住房空间将专门用于饲养用于行为研究的老鼠。住房环境被设计为消除诸如噪音之类的变量，以允许更高质量的小鼠行为研究。CBC附件的建立和设计是为了减轻以下三个对神经科学实验室进行啮齿动物行为研究不利的缺陷。CBC附件提供了：1)BPC设施急需的空间，使实验室能够扩大和加强其啮齿动物行为研究；2)专门的啮齿动物行为空间，以消除干扰和负面影响当前研究的噪声等环境变量；3)迫切需要空间来扩大小鼠群体，以满足行为神经科学家当前和日益增长的需求。CBC附属楼的三楼现在有一个已建立的BPC设施，该设施包含15个啮齿动物行为程序室，总面积为2,024平方米。ft的测试空间。正在寻求资金来增加老鼠的住房容量，指定用于行为研究，在毗邻BPC设施的CBC附件的三楼。具体而言，资金要求如下：1)购买和安装通风的笼子设备，在紧邻BPC设施的1,884平方英尺的老鼠饲养室内容纳2,660个老鼠笼子，该房间将用于饲养在BPC中进行行为研究的老鼠。2)在BPC设施附近建立无菌小鼠住房设施，以便研究肠道微生物群对小鼠行为和中枢神经系统功能的影响。这些资金将增加大学在建立CBC附件方面的明确承诺和投资，以加强洛克菲勒大学强大的啮齿动物行为研究项目。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Behavioral neuroscience is a key focus and priority area of Rockefeller investigators. In 2006 the University made a commitment to significantly invest in and enhance the infrastructure for rodent behavior research. The construction of the 32,356 sq ft Comparative Bioscience Center (CBC) Annex building was completed in December, 2009 at a cost of $36 million. This three and a half story building is strategically adjacent to a five story 97,000 sq ft centralized vivarium, making the CBC Annex contiguous with the centralized vivarium. The Rockefeller University (RU) requests funds to establish specialized mouse housing immediately adjacent to a rodent Behavioral Phenotyping Core (BPC) facility within the newly constructed CBC Annex building. This specialized mouse housing space will be dedicated for housing mice used in behavioral studies. The housing environment is designed to eliminate variables such as noise to allow higher quality mouse behavioral studies. The CBC Annex was built and designed to alleviate the following three deficiencies adversely impacting neuroscience laboratories conducting rodent behavior research. The CBC Annex offers: 1) critically needed space for a BPC facility, enabling laboratories to expand and enhance their rodent behavior studies; 2) dedicated rodent behavior space to eliminate environmental variables such as noise that has hampered and negatively impacted current research within the centralized vivarium; and 3) critically needed space to expand mouse colonies to meet the current and growing demands of behavioral neuroscientists. The 3rd floor of the CBC Annex now has an established BPC facility containing rodent behavior equipment that occupies 15 rodent behavior procedure rooms totaling 2,024 sq. ft. of testing space. Funds are sought to increase housing capacity for mice, designated for behavior studies, within the 3rd floor of the CBC Annex directly adjacent to the BPC facility. Specifically, funds are requested for the following: 1) To purchase and install ventilated caging equipment to house 2,660 mouse cages within a 1,884 net sq ft mouse holding room directly adjacent to the BPC facility, which will be used to maintain mice undergoing behavioral studies in the BPC. 2) To establish a germ-free mouse housing facility, also adjacent to the BPC facility, to allow studies examining the influence of gut microbiota on mouse behavior and central nervous system function. These funds will augment the University's clear commitment and investment in building the CBC Annex to enhance the strong rodent behavior research programs at The Rockefeller University.