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提供研究支持。该中心专注于毒理学和环境健康，最近开始强调斑马鱼是发育毒理学的主要模型。在威斯康星大学密尔沃基分校的有针对性的招聘和跨机构儿童环境健康研究所的形成，大大扩大了中心的成员，并有必要进行水生动物设施（AAF）从通用生物医学水生动物设施的转换，重点是斑马鱼，也可以为其他几种鱼类提供护理。目标是建立一个单位，支持高成活率和使用所有生命阶段，从胚胎到成年的这些鱼类物种。在这方面，该提案要求提供资金，用于改造该设施，具体目标如下：（1）为该设施及其内部房间提供安全的无钥匙出入系统，并为该设施提供应急电源。(2)对渔业设施的入口空间进行实体改造，以便从外源（例如野生捕捞或其他动物设施）获得的鱼类与内部鱼类种群进行实体隔离，从而减少将疾病引入渔业设施种群的可能性，同时保持引入新鲜遗传种群的能力。(3)安装一个大容量的去离子水系统，并配备一个自动注射器，以加强或取代目前用于向鱼类供水的脱氯水系统。(4)为每个再循环和流经机架系统获取并安装水质监测系统，以保持水质。监测系统将真实的实时监测溶解氧、pH值、盐度和温度的水平，并在任何被监测的组分超出指定参数时警告适当的人员。(5)用较低的工作台取代标准的实验室高度工作台，用于立体解剖显微镜。(6)获取立体和倒置显微镜。(7)获得一种具有冷冻速率控制和基于液氮的储存系统的低温系统，用于产生和维持冷冻精子作为有价值的斑马鱼品系的备份。(8)购买一台替代高压灭菌器，为该机构提供灭菌能力。 公共卫生相关性（由申请人提供）：水生动物设施是一个独特的单位，通过为科学家提供畜牧业支持，专业设施和工作人员专业知识来支持斑马鱼的使用。斑马鱼是一种主要的发育生物学模型。它的存在促进了大量基础和临床研究人员的聚集，他们合作并使用这一模式来了解生殖和发育疾病和障碍的起源，特别是与心脏和神经发育有关的疾病和障碍。

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.