IMPROVING ANIMAL RESOURCES

描述(由申请人提供)： UHM在新千年的生物医学研究卓越的新时代在很大程度上是由于国家研究资源中心(NCRR)少数民族机构研究中心(RCMI)计划的持续支持。通过RCMI资助改善了研究环境，极大地增强了UHM教员的竞争力，以利用联邦政府对艾滋病毒和艾滋病、神经科学、病理生物学矩阵和生殖生物学研究的额外支持。一个持续的需求是升级动物设施，以适当照顾用于生物医学和生物行为研究的实验室动物。在NCRR正在最后审查的前一份申请(1G20RR16999)中，UHM申请资金翻新笼子洗涤区，并更换生物医学科学大楼(BSB)的笼子清洗设备，以符合《指南》和《动物福利法》的相关法规。目前的申请代表着对改善动物资源的补充资金的请求，以支持由RCMI资助的项目和由PHS资助的其他生物医学、行为研究和培训项目。有针对性的改善工作将有以下具体目标：1)用碱水解组织消化装置取代失灵的焚化炉，以适当处理动物身体和保存的组织废物，以适当地处理UHM支持生物医学和行为研究的五个核心动物设施中的四个；2)开发啮齿动物外科套件，以支持RCMI和其他PHS资助的涉及动物生存手术的项目；以及3)安装通风笼子系统，以扩大容纳啮齿动物的能力，并增强核心生物医学和行为研究动物设施的灵活性，以满足PHS资助的项目。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A new era of biomedical research excellence for the new millennium at the UHM has largely been made possible by the continued support from the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program of the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR). Improvements made in the research environment through RCMI funding have dramatically enhanced the competitiveness of UHM faculty to leverage additional federal support for research in HIV and AIDS, neuroscience, pathobiology matrix, and reproductive biology. A continuing need is to upgrade animal facilities for the proper care of laboratory animals used in biomedical and biobehavorial research. In a previous application (1G20RR16999) now under final review by NCRR, UHM requested funds to renovate the cage wash area and to replace the cage washing equipment in the Biomedical Sciences Building (BSB), in order to comply with the Guide and relevant codes of the Animal Welfare Act. The current application represents a request for supplemental funds to improve animal resources in support of RCMI-funded projects and other biomedical, behavioral research, and training projects funded by the PHS. Targeted improvements will be made by the following specific aims: 1) replace a failing incinerator with an alkaline-hydrolysis tissue-digestion unit for the proper disposal of animal carcasses and preserved tissue wastes for four of the five core animal facilities which support biomedical and behavioral research at UHM; 2) develop a rodent surgical suite to support RCMI- and other PHS-supported projects involving animal-survival surgery; and 3) install vented caging systems to expand the rodent-holding capacity and to enhance the flexibility of the core biomedical and behavioral research animal facilities for PHS-funded projects.