Developing and Improving the Institutional Animal Care Facility

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The mission of Meharry's animal resource program is to furnish humane care for research animals, serve investigators efficiently, and comply with the standards of all regulatory and accrediting agencies. Our long-term goal is to expand our Animal Care Facility (ACF) and the program to provide investigators with a modern animal research facility that will serve their research needs. The specific aims of this application are: 1) To install automatic watering system. 2) To expand the rodent housing capabilities. 3) To correct cracks in the concrete flooring. 4) To replace drain grates; improve drainage; improve room 234B; complete miscellaneous upgrades. The college extensively reorganized its basic science departments in 2005 to emphasize four research foci: 1) Cancer; 2) Women's Health; 3) HIV/AIDS; and 4) Brain and Behavior. As a consequence, more sophisticated services have been demanded of the ACF. Since 2004, breeding colonies have increased from one to six. Recruitment of HIV investigators from Johns Hopkins in 2005 increased the demand for barrier housing, while rare mutants employed by others require special husbandry. The ACF staff has expanded by one veterinarian and two animal care technicians; the improvements requested in this application are directed at providing complementary facilities and equipment. Specifically, we plan to extend automatic watering from the large animal rooms to rodent rooms; add ventilated racks to maintain breeding colonies; upgrade the facility floors to eliminate cracks that compromise sanitation and complete additional upgrades. Application requests will help us provide state-of-the-art facilities and meet regulatory/ compliance requirements.