Sessions

The LAS sector faces converging pressures—reproducibility demands, workforce volatility, sustainability mandates, and public scrutiny — that manual, labor-intensive vivarium models were not built to absorb. Presenters introduce the “Automation Loop,” a systems-level approach that connects cage wash operations, autonomous guided vehicles, and intelligent cage-level monitoring into a continuous, data-driven workflow. They examine how this integration reduces repetitive manual tasks, improves environmental consistency, generates actionable research data, and measurably reduces water, energy, and resource consumption — positioning the automated vivarium not as a technology aspiration but as an operational and institutional sustainability strategy.

Siloed vivarium layouts do more than limit communication—they create inefficiency, mpede safety, slow decision-making, and undermine the workforce cohesion that sustains a high-performing animal care program. Robin Kastenmayer presents the design philosophy behind AstraZeneca's new Kendall Square vivarium, where a centralized operations hub surrounded by specialized procedure rooms replaced the fragmented room-by-room model of the prior facility. She details how integrated digital displays, shared KPI visibility, protocol alerts, and structured cross-functional gatherings translate space design into measurable improvements in coordination, compliance communication, staff recognition, and the scientific outcomes that depend on a connected, informed team.

Research programs evolve faster than buildings — and facilities that cannot adapt create both operational and recruitment problems for the institutions they serve. Session leaders present the latest innovative designs for holding rooms, procedure spaces, and behavioral study areas that allow rapid reconfiguration in response to shifting scientific demands. They illustrate solutions for integrating natural light and exterior views into staff circulation zones while preserving rigorous light control in sensitive animal areas, demonstrating how thoughtful facility expansion can simultaneously increase programmatic capacity, strengthen regulatory compliance, and meaningfully improve the daily working environment for animal care staff.

Constrained sites, prohibitive construction timelines, and urgent demands for operational research space are pushing institutions to rethink conventional delivery — and modular construction is proving to be a serious long-term infrastructure strategy, not a stopgap. United Therapeutics' experience scaling a pioneering research program through phased modular construction — from a startup vivarium unit to a permanent facility engineered for 30-year longevity — offers a replicable framework for institutions navigating similar pressures. Session leaders examine the real advantages in cost certainty, schedule compression, and sustainability performance, and address the permitting complexity and stakeholder misconceptions that remain the primary barriers to broader adoption.

Replacing sterilization equipment in a live cage wash operation requires as much operational planning as it does technical specification. Robert Davis Tyler examine a recent project at The Broad Institute in which two steam sterilizers were replaced with dry heat units in an active vivarium facility—with minimal disruption to daily workflows. They detail the project drivers, how the choice of dry heat technology reduced the complexity of the installation, what facility preparations proved essential, and how the project team managed throughput continuity and staff coordination throughout execution. They deliver a replicable model for institutions facing aging sterilization infrastructure without the option of a facility shutdown.

With the FDA and NIH accelerating their push toward New Approach Methodologies — and federal funding cuts already increasing pressure on animal research programs — the question isn't whether animal research facilities need to accommodate non-animal models. It's how to build that flexibility in from the start. Michele Cunneen presents a design framework for facilities that can pivot between live animal work and in vitro systems without major renovations. She explores modular mechanical strategies, utility planning, and barrier adjacencies that preserve optionality. She also explains why full animal model replacement within five years remains an unrealistic planning assumption despite current policy momentum.