NIEHS Center Aquatic Animal Facility Renovation

描述（由申请人提供）：NIEHS儿童环境健康科学核心中心为在生物医学研究中使用水生动物作为模式生物的科学家骨干提供研究支持。随着毒理学和环境健康的关注，该中心最近开始强调斑马鱼是发育毒理学的主要模型。威斯康星-密尔沃基大学的定向招聘和机构间儿童环境健康研究所的成立大大扩大了该中心的成员数量，并使得有必要将水生动物设施（AAF）从一般用途的生物医学水生动物设施转变为一个以斑马鱼为重点并能照顾其他几种鱼类的设施。目标是建立一个单位，以支持这些鱼类从胚胎到成鱼的所有生命阶段的高存活率和利用。在此背景下，该提案要求为改造该设施提供资金，具体目的如下：(1)为该设施及其内部房间提供安全的无钥匙访问系统，并为该设施提供应急电源。(2)对鱼类设施的入口空间进行物理改造，使从外源来源获得的鱼（例如野生捕捞或从其他动物设施获得的鱼）与内部鱼类种群在物理上分开，从而减少将疾病引入鱼类设施种群的可能性，同时保持引进新鲜遗传种群的能力。(3)安装大容量去离子水系统及自动注入器，以增加或取代现时用于鱼类供水的去氯水系统。(4)为每个再循环及流经机架系统购置及安装水质监测系统，以维持水质。监测系统将实时监测溶解氧、酸碱度和温度的水平，并在任何被监测的部件超出指定参数时向适当的人员发出警报。(5)使用立体解剖显微镜用较低的工作台取代标准的实验室高度工作台。(6)获得立体和倒置显微镜。(7)获得一种具有冷冻速率控制和液氮储存系统的低温系统，用于产生和保存冷冻精子，作为有价值的斑马鱼品系的后备。(8)购买一个替换的高压灭菌器，为设施提供灭菌能力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The NIEHS Children's Environmental Health Sciences Core Center provides research support to a cadre of scientists who use aquatic animals as model organisms in their biomedical research. With a focus on toxicology and environmental health, the Center has recently moved to emphasize the zebrafish as a prime model in developmental toxicology. Targeted hiring at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the formation of the inter-institutional Children=s Environmental Health Institute have greatly expanded the Center=s membership and made it necessary to undertake the conversion of the Aquatic Animal Facility (AAF) from a general purpose biomedical aquatic animal facility to one that focuses on the zebrafish and also can provide care for a few other fish species. The objective is establish a unit that supports high survival rates and use of all life stages from the embryo to the adult of these fish species. In this context, the proposal requests funds for remodeling the facility with the following specific aims: (1) To provide a secure, keyless access system for the facility and its internal rooms and emergency power to the facility. (2) To physically remodel the entry space to the fish facility so that fish obtained from exogenous sources (e.g. wild caught or from other animal facilities) are physically separated from in-house fish stocks, thus, reducing the potential for introducing disease into the fish facility stocks, while maintaining the ability to introduce fresh genetic stocks. (3) To install a large capacity deionized water system with an automated injector to augment or replace the dechlorinated water system presently used to supply water to the fish. (4) To acquire and install water quality monitoring systems for each recirculating and flow through rack system for maintenance of water quality. The monitoring systems would monitor in real time the levels of dissolved oxygen, pH salinity, and temperature and alert appropriate personnel when any of the monitored components wnet outside designated parameters. (5) To replace standard lab height benches with lower benches for use with stereo dissecting microscopes. (6) To acquire stereo and inverted microscopes. (7) To obtain a cryogenic system with freezing rate control and liquid nitrogen based storage system for generating and maintaining frozen sperm as back ups for valued zebrafish strains. (8) To purchase a replacement autoclave to provide sterilization capacity for the facility. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE (provided by applicant): The Aquatic Animal Facility is a unique unit that supports the use of zebrafish by providing scientists with husbandry support, specialized facilities, and staff expertise. The zebrafish is a prime developmental biological model. Its existence has facilitated the assembly of a critical mass of basic and clinical investigators who collaborate and use this model to understand the origins of reproductive and developmental diseases and disorders, particularly those related to cardiac and neurological development.