Replacement of Cage and Rack Wash System at Brown University's BioMedical Center

描述（由申请方提供）：本G20项目的总体目标是通过用新型Basil Steris 4700笼架清洗系统替换24年历史的Basil Steris 4600笼架清洗系统，对主要BioMedical Center动物设施中的笼架清洗系统进行现代化改造。通过在完全失效之前更换此机架清洗机，我们的目标是通过在不发生重大中断或中断的情况下继续维持并超过有效科学研究所需的动物护理标准，来维护Brown的AAALAC国际认证动物护理和使用计划的质量和完整性。在其有用的 在使用寿命期间，4600机架清洗系统越来越多地需要脱机维修，现在需要更换过时的零件。这种积极主动的更换“4600”将通过提供物理工厂环境和设备冗余来维持和提高布朗动物研究计划的研究实践和生产力，这些物理工厂环境和设备冗余与通过及时更换笼子保持动物处于健康状态相一致。现代化的笼架清洗系统，还包括更换两辆最旧的笼架清洗车和小型公用设施改造，将通过持续和及时的物理设备改进来保持和提高动物护理设施内的运营效率和员工生产力。它将建立一个现代化的基础设施，以促进稳定，安全和可靠的研究环境，为布朗动物研究实验室提供至关重要的笼子清洗服务能力和冗余。布朗的动物护理计划每年的运营预算约为200万美元，生物医学中心设施目前支持29名研究人员，每年直接资助约980万美元。这一设施的改进将支持多个学术部门，学校，医院和合作的小公司在我们广泛的合作科学界的研究和教育活动，并允许这些研究计划的持续扩展。通过支持布朗的联邦资助的研究和发现计划，生物医学设施的改善与布朗的使命一致，通过研究其生存和福祉所依赖的行为和生物过程来促进对生物体的理解。该奖项将极大地促进罗得岛以及区域、国家和全球各级与人类健康有关的研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall objective of this G20 project is to modernize the cage wash system in the primary BioMedical Center animal facility by replacing the 24 year old Basil Steris 4600 Rack Wash system with a new model Basil Steris 4700 Cage and Rack Wash system. By replacing this Rack Washer before it fails completely we aim to uphold the quality and integrity of Brown's AAALAC International certified animal care and use program by continuing, without major interruption or disruption, to maintain and exceed the standards of animal care necessary for effective scientific research. Nearing the end of its useful life, the 4600 Rack Wash system has increasingly been offline for repairs and now requires replacement parts that are obsolete. This proactive replacement of the "4600" will sustain and enhance the research practices and productivity of Brown's animal research programs by providing the physical plant environment and equipment redundancy consistent with, and required for, maintaining animals in a state of well-being through timely cage changing. A modernized Cage and Rack wash system, which also includes replacement of two of the oldest cage wash carts and minor utility renovations, will maintain and improve operational efficiency and staff productivity within the animal care facility by continuous and timely physical plant improvement. It will establish a modernized infrastructure that will facilitate a stable, secure an reliable research environment, providing Brown animal research laboratories with critically necessary cage wash service capacity and redundancy. The Animal Care Program at Brown has an annual operating budget of approximately $2M and the BioMedical Center facility currently supports 29 investigators with ~$9.8M in annual direct funding. This facility improvement will support research and educational activities in multiple academic departments, schools, hospitals and collaborating small companies within our broad and collaborative scientific community and allow continued expansion of these research programs. By supporting Brown's federally funded research and discovery programs, the BioMedical facility improvement is aligned with Brown's mission to advance the understanding of living organisms through studies of the behavioral and biological processes upon which their survival and well-being depends. An award would greatly facilitate human health-related research in Rhode Island and at the regional, national, and global level.