Improvements to Building T Animal Facility

SRI International是一家非营利性研究机构，目前每年在NIH资助的生物医学研究中进行约2000万美元的研究。使用动物的主要研究领域包括神经生物学、癌症、传染病、毒理学、药代动力学和药理学。自1974年以来，我们的动物设施一直获得AAALAC认证。SRI正在申请资金，以加强我们在T楼的动物设施，该设施主要是啮齿动物和兔子。目前的T号楼动物设施建于1962年，笼清洗设施效率非常低，没有足够的空间存放清洁的动物笼和用品，也没有对非啮齿类哺乳动物进行生存外科手术的区域。越来越迫切的需要，以适应更多的研究，在实际数量的动物，以及更多的研究与特殊需要，如生存手术，免疫缺陷动物，转基因啮齿动物，动物研究需要生物，化学和放射性危害遏制措施。该计划有三个具体目标：（1）笼洗扩大。我们将通过拆除相邻房间的墙壁来扩大目前的T型楼笼洗区，从而使目前的可用空间增加约一倍。我们将用新的隧道/笼清洗装置更换30多年的隧道清洗机，并安装一个双门高压灭菌器，适用于对涉及生物危害剂或免疫受损动物的笼和机架进行灭菌。(2)手术室我们将建造一个新的三室无菌手术室。该套房将毗邻现有洗手间区域，以简化准备/更衣，并将包括准备室（162平方英尺）、手术室（440平方英尺）和恢复室（225平方英尺）。(3)笼/架储存区。我们将在新的笼清洗区附近新建一个干净的笼和笼架储存区。对我们动物设施的改进将大大提高我们动物设施的整体能力，容量和质量，并将直接使21个受资助的NIH项目和30个使用实验室动物的NIH申请受益。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): SRI International is a nonprofit research institute that currently performs ~$20M in NIH-funded biomedical research each year. Major areas of research that use animals include neurobiology, cancer, infectious disease, toxicology, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacology. Our animal facilities have been continuously accredited by AAALAC since 1974. SRI is requesting funds for enhancement of our animal facilities in Building T, which houses primarily rodents and rabbits. The present Building T animal facility, built in 1962, has a very inefficient cage wash facility, does not have adequate storage space for clean animal cages and supplies, and does not have an area to perform survival surgical procedures on non-rodent mammals. There are growing urgent needs to accommodate more studies in terms of actual numbers of animals as well as more studies with special needs such as survival surgery, immunodeficient animals, genetically manipulated rodents, and animal studies requiring biological, chemical, and radiological hazard containment practices. This program has 3 Specific Aims: (1) Cagewash Expansion. We will expand our current T-Building cagewash area by removing the wall to the adjoining room, thereby approximately doubling the current space available. We will replace a 30+ year old tunnel washer with a new tunnel/cage washing unit and install a double-doored autoclave suitable for sterilizing cages and racks for applications involving biohazardous agents or immunocompromised animals. (2) Surgery Suite. We will construct a new 3-room aseptic surgery suite. The suite will adjoin the existing restroom area for simplicity of preparation/gowning and will consist of preparation (162 ft2), surgery (440 ft2), and recovery (225 ft2) rooms. (3) Cage/Rack Storage Area. We will build a new, clean storage area for cages and racks immediately adjacent to the new cage wash area. The improvements to our animal facility will greatly enhance the overall capabilities, capacity, and quality of our animal facility and will directly benefit the 21 funded NIH projects and 30 pending NIH applications that use laboratory animals.