UCSD Mouse Research Facilities Improvement Program-Medical Teaching Facility

描述（由申请人提供）：建于1978年，地理位置优越，位于加州大学圣地亚哥分校校园健康科学区域的中心，医学教学设施vivarium包括26个老鼠房，能够容纳69个架子和超过11,000箱的研究老鼠。要求拨款购买一套创新的新住房系统，该系统由高密度单独通风的一次性/可回收笼子组成。拟议的住房扩建将使现有和新招募的教师能够在心脏病学、胃肠病学、呼吸生理学和神经生物学方面进行开创性的研究。这些领域的发现将促进重要人类疾病的预防和安全治疗，如阿尔茨海默病和心肌梗死。加州大学圣地亚哥分校动物护理和使用项目的最高目标是最大限度地成功研究，优化动物福利，并确保人类健康。我们现在的重点是在小灵通资助的高度互动实验中使用的“传统类型”设施中升级老鼠窝系统。我们的具体目标是：1)扩大位于中心位置的MTF设施的小鼠住房容量；2)通过改善主要住房环境和尽量减少病原体暴露来改善小鼠的健康；3)减少MTF内对小鼠笼养卫生设施和相关自然资源的需求。为了实现这些目标，我们需要69个高密度单独通风的小鼠住房机架中的42个，这些机架需要支持对相关微生物群落相对较小变化敏感的动物的关键研究。大学将在资金到位后提供剩余的27个机架。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Built in 1978, strategically located at the center of the Health Sciences Region on the campus of the University of California, San Diego, the Medical Teaching Facility vivarium includes 26 mouse housing rooms capable of holding 69 racks and over 11,000 boxes of research mice. Funds are requested to purchase an innovative new housing system comprised of high-density individually ventilated disposable/recyclable cages. The proposed housing expansion will enable established and newly recruited faculty to conduct seminal studies in cardiology, gastroenterology, respiratory physiology and neurobiology. Discoveries in these areas will advance the prevention and safe treatment of important human diseases such as Alzheimer's and myocardial infarction. Top goals for the Animal Care and Use Program at UCSD are to maximize successful research, optimize animal well being, and ensure human health. We are now focusing on upgrading mouse housing systems at "conventional-type" facilities used in highly interactive PHS funded experiments. Our specific aims are to 1) expand mouse housing capacity at the centrally located MTF facility, 2) improve the health of mice by improving the primary housing environment and minimizing exposure to pathogens, and 3) reduce the need for mouse caging sanitation facilities and the associated natural resources within the MTF. To address these aims we are requesting 42 of the 69 high density individually ventilated mouse housing racks that are needed to support critical research on animals sensitive to relatively minor changes in associated microflora. The University will provide the remaining 27 racks as funds become available.