Specialized Mouse Housing for a Rodent Behavioral Phenotyping Core Facility

描述（由申请人提供）：行为神经科学是洛克菲勒研究人员的重点和优先领域。2006年，该大学承诺大力投资并加强啮齿动物行为研究的基础设施。32，356平方英尺的比较生物科学中心（CBC）附属大楼于2009年12月完工，耗资3600万美元。这座三层半的建筑战略性地毗邻一个五层97,000平方英尺的中央动物园，使CBC附件与中央动物园相邻。洛克菲勒大学（RU）要求提供资金，在新建的CBC附属大楼内紧邻啮齿动物行为表型核心（BPC）设施建立专门的小鼠住房。该专门的小鼠饲养空间将专门用于饲养行为研究中使用的小鼠。饲养环境旨在消除噪音等变量，以进行更高质量的小鼠行为研究。CBC附件的建立和设计是为了减轻以下三个缺陷对神经科学实验室进行啮齿动物行为研究的不利影响。CBC Annex提供：1）急需BPC设施的空间，使实验室能够扩展和加强其啮齿动物行为研究; 2）专用啮齿动物行为空间，以消除环境变量，如阻碍和负面影响集中式动物饲养场内当前研究的噪音;以及3）急需扩大小鼠群体的空间，以满足行为神经科学家当前和不断增长的需求。CBC附件的三楼现在有一个已建立的BPC设施，其中包含啮齿动物行为设备，占用15个啮齿动物行为程序室，总面积为2，024平方米。英尺测试空间。正在寻求资金，以增加小鼠的饲养能力，指定用于行为研究，在CBC附件的3楼直接毗邻BPC设施。具体而言，申请的资金用于：1）购买和安装通风笼设备，在紧邻原料药中心设施的1，884净平方英尺的小鼠饲养室内饲养2，660只小鼠笼，这些小鼠笼将用于饲养在原料药中心进行行为研究的小鼠。2)建立一个无菌小鼠饲养设施，也与BPC设施相邻，以便研究肠道微生物群对小鼠行为和中枢神经系统功能的影响。这些资金将增加大学在建设CBC附件方面的明确承诺和投资，以加强洛克菲勒大学强大的啮齿动物行为研究项目。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Behavioral neuroscience is a key focus and priority area of Rockefeller investigators. In 2006 the University made a commitment to significantly invest in and enhance the infrastructure for rodent behavior research. The construction of the 32,356 sq ft Comparative Bioscience Center (CBC) Annex building was completed in December, 2009 at a cost of $36 million. This three and a half story building is strategically adjacent to a five story 97,000 sq ft centralized vivarium, making the CBC Annex contiguous with the centralized vivarium. The Rockefeller University (RU) requests funds to establish specialized mouse housing immediately adjacent to a rodent Behavioral Phenotyping Core (BPC) facility within the newly constructed CBC Annex building. This specialized mouse housing space will be dedicated for housing mice used in behavioral studies. The housing environment is designed to eliminate variables such as noise to allow higher quality mouse behavioral studies. The CBC Annex was built and designed to alleviate the following three deficiencies adversely impacting neuroscience laboratories conducting rodent behavior research. The CBC Annex offers: 1) critically needed space for a BPC facility, enabling laboratories to expand and enhance their rodent behavior studies; 2) dedicated rodent behavior space to eliminate environmental variables such as noise that has hampered and negatively impacted current research within the centralized vivarium; and 3) critically needed space to expand mouse colonies to meet the current and growing demands of behavioral neuroscientists. The 3rd floor of the CBC Annex now has an established BPC facility containing rodent behavior equipment that occupies 15 rodent behavior procedure rooms totaling 2,024 sq. ft. of testing space. Funds are sought to increase housing capacity for mice, designated for behavior studies, within the 3rd floor of the CBC Annex directly adjacent to the BPC facility. Specifically, funds are requested for the following: 1) To purchase and install ventilated caging equipment to house 2,660 mouse cages within a 1,884 net sq ft mouse holding room directly adjacent to the BPC facility, which will be used to maintain mice undergoing behavioral studies in the BPC. 2) To establish a germ-free mouse housing facility, also adjacent to the BPC facility, to allow studies examining the influence of gut microbiota on mouse behavior and central nervous system function. These funds will augment the University's clear commitment and investment in building the CBC Annex to enhance the strong rodent behavior research programs at The Rockefeller University.