Improving Fox Chase's Animal Resources

描述（由申请人提供）：Fox Chase癌症中心（FCCC）的实验动物设施为研究者提供了出色的动物护理和使用支持，自1969年首次申请以来，已获得国际实验动物护理评估和认证协会（AAALAC）的全面认证。从那时起，该研究所和动物研究计划已经显着增长，但动物设施的足迹几乎没有扩展或增长。它现在已经人满为患，要么动物研究数量的增加必须停止，要么设施必须扩大和/或在笼子技术上做出重大改变。使用和圈养的绝大多数动物是研究小鼠，其中许多是转基因和免疫功能低下的，需要无疾病的圈养设施和程序。在2005年，我们开始了一项长期计划，系统地将标准笼和机架转换为高密度通风机架。仅这一步就将使我们的持有量在现有的足迹内增加近80%。我们已经尽可能地整合和减少繁殖小鼠，为研究小鼠提供更多的空间，并于2006年2月将一个前啮齿动物繁殖翼（3，000平方米）（英尺）在二楼进入转基因和免疫缺陷研究小鼠的屏障研究区。我们已承诺提供机构资金，在该翼的入口处安装高压灭菌器（将于2007年夏季安装）和自动供水，并将于2007年购买高密度通风笼和架子，以便在该二楼区域再容纳1760个研究小鼠笼。我们现在必须把注意力转移到三楼的研究老鼠屏障区。为了向动物研究屏障中饲养的重要研究动物提供笼级保护，并继续增加研究啮齿动物种群，申请拨款购买13个双面高密度HEPA过滤通风架（每个笼舍可容纳160个鼠笼），10个单面HEPA过滤高密度通风架（每个容纳80只小鼠笼），以及该区域的8个HEPA过滤交换站，以便可以容纳Fox Chase越来越多地使用转基因研究小鼠。这些高密度笼将使该区域的研究小鼠库存增加1880个笼，并将第三层区域的一半转换为高密度通风笼和笼架。这将是我们长期计划的重要一步，以满足受资助的研究人员在其研究中使用转基因和免疫功能低下小鼠的日益增长的需求，沿着其他内部修改对于满足Fox Chase到2009年年中的预期需求至关重要。我们还开始了一个新的，更大的设施作为福克斯大通五年增长和扩张计划的一部分，长期规划。这些笼子是必不可少的，在这个时候，将立即使用，并可以在任何新的设施在未来使用，因为我们的扩张继续。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Laboratory Animal Facility at the Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) provides excellent animal care and use support to research investigators and has enjoyed full accreditation by The Association for the Assessment and Accreditation for Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) since its first application in 1969. Since that time the Institute and Animal Research Programs have grown significantly, but there has been little expansion or growth in the footprint of the animal facility. It is now filled to capacity and overcrowded, and either the increase in animal research numbers must stop or the facility must expand and/or make major changes in caging technology. The great majority of animals used and housed are research mice, many of which are transgenic and immunocompromised and require disease free housing facilities and procedures. In 2005 we began a long range plan to systematically convert standard caging and racks to high density ventilated racks. This step alone will increase our holding capacity by almost 80% within the existing footprint. We have consolidated and reduced breeding mice as much as possible to make more space available for research mice and in February 2006 converted a former rodent breeding wing (3,000 sq. ft.) on the second floor into a barrier research area for transgenic and immunodeficient research mice. We have committed institutional funds for installation of an autoclave at the entry to this wing (to be installed in the summer of 2007) and automatic watering, and will be purchasing high density ventilated cages and racks in 2007 to house an additional 1760 cages of research mice in this second floor area. We now must turn our attention to the research mouse barrier area on the third floor. In order to provide cage level protection to the important research animals maintained in this animal research barrier and continue to increase the research rodent population, funding is requested for 13 double sided high density HEPA filtered ventilated racks (each housing 160 mouse cages), ten single sided HEPA filtered high density ventilated racks (each holding 80 mouse cages), and 8 HEPA filtered change stations for this area so that the increasing use of transgenic research mice at Fox Chase can be accommodated. These high density cages will increase the research mouse inventory in this area by 1880 cages and convert half of this third floor area to high density ventilated cages and racks. This will be a major step in our long-range plan to accommodate the growing need by funded research investigators for use of transgenic and immunocompromised mice in their research, and along with other internal modifications is critical to accommodate the expected need at Fox Chase through mid-2009. We have also begun longer-range planning for a new, larger facility as part of the Fox Chase five year plan for growth and expansion. These cages are essential at this time and will be used immediately, and can be used in any new facility in the future as our expansion continues.