GIVEN BUILDING ANIMAL FACILITY UPGRADE

描述(由申请人提供)： 佛蒙特州大学(UVM)正在申请资金，以升级位于佛蒙特州伯灵顿UVM中心校区给定医学院大楼地下室的现有动物设施空间。已经确定了扩大现有研究动物设施的能力的迫切需要。 基因工程小鼠的生产现在正在半刚性隔离器中进行，该隔离器位于一座新启用的研究大楼中，该大楼附属于已有40年历史的给定大楼。给定的设施继续包含一个传统的动物群体收容设施；这种能力是研究企业发展所必需的。为了将这一传统设施转变为可使用的设施，在笼子水平为啮齿动物提供屏障，必须对其进行升级。特别是，这对于在研究用鼠夹持作业中消除持续的小鼠病毒性疾病暴发是必要的。申请的资金将用于购买：a)升级的移动式高密度笼子系统，b)过滤空气床上用品处理系统，以及c)层流高效空气过滤器过滤空气工作台罩。10个传统的老鼠休息室将改建为笼级老鼠休息室。这样做的另一个好处是每个房间的容量增加了一倍，因为拟议的机架可容纳140个笼子，而现有的开放式机架每个机架最多只能容纳70个笼子。隧道式笼式垫圈和齿条式垫圈都在过去五年内更换过，目前还没有达到产能要求。 扩张需要投资，密歇根大学管理部门致力于继续支持这一宝贵的研究资源。这个中央动物设施每年支持的研究总额超过2000万美元。之前在密歇根州立大学使用动物进行的研究结果已被应用于许多临床医疗和诊断技术，目前在密歇根州立大学附属的弗莱彻·艾伦保健中心和世界各地的其他主要医疗机构正在使用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The University of Vermont (UVM) is requesting funds to upgrade the existing animal facility space located in the basement of the College of Medicine Given Building at the UVM Central Campus in Burlington, Vermont. A critical need has been identified to expand the capability of the existing facilities housing research animals. The production of genetically engineered mice is now occurring in semi-rigid isolators in a newly commissioned research building attached to the 40-year-old Given Building. The Given facility continues to contain a conventional animal colony holding facility; this capacity is required for growth of the research enterprise. In order to convert this conventional facility into a serviceable facility providing barrier at the cage level for rodents, it must be upgraded. In particular, this is required for the elimination of ongoing murine viral disease outbreaks in the research rodent holding operations. The requested funds will be used to purchase: a) upgraded mobile high density caging systems, b) filtered air bedding disposal systems, and c) laminar flow HEPA filtered air workbench hoods. Ten conventional holding rooms for mice will be converted cage level holding rooms for mice. This has the added advantage of doubling the capacity of each room as the proposed racks hold 140 cages while the existing open racks only hold a maximum of 70 cages per rack. Both the tunnel type cage washer and the rack washer have been replaced within the last five years and are not being used to capacity at this time. Expansion requires investment and the UVM administration is committed to continuing the support of this valuable research resource. Research supported by this centralized animal facility annually totals over $20,000,000. The results of previous studies using animals at UVM have been applied to many of the clinical medical and diagnostic techniques currently in use at the UVM affiliated Fletcher Allen Health Care and in other major medical treatment facilities around the world.