Animal Research

McLaughlin Research Institute is engaged in a $4.3 million expansion and renovation of its animal resource center at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences in Great Falls, Mont. The project includes the acquisition of individually ventilated cages and new cage washing and sterilization equipment. The two-story expansion will increase mouse vivarium space and will accommodate two additional biomedical research groups. A XYCLONE laser module will improve the production of gene-targeted mice to produce new mouse models for human diseases.

Virginia Tech opened a new equine cell and molecular research laboratory at the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg in September of 2008. The 2,500-sf facility will support the growth of stem cells for study and clinical application as well as providing training for scientists engaged in equine and biomedical research.

San Diego-based contract research organization Bio-Quant received full accreditation from the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International in October of 2008. AAALAC’s extensive on-site evaluation determined that the highest level of animal care and research practices are being implemented by Bio-Quant. The accreditation follows upon an operational and infrastructure expansion project at the site.

Charles River Laboratories opened its 60,000-sf preclinical facility in Shanghai in October of 2008. The drug development building will begin providing GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) biopharmaceutical research and development services in the first quarter of 2009. The project includes vivarium facilities for animal research and will comply with AAALAC (Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care) and U.S. FDA guidelines.

The North Carolina Research Campus celebrated the opening of three buildings on its 350-acre life sciences campus in Kannapolis in October of 2008. The $1.5 billion project was designed by Narmour Wright Creech Architecture and developed by Castle & Cooke. The campus includes the 311,000-sf Murdock Core Lab which features a basement vivarium housing 48,000 rodents.

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s $25 million Regional Biocontainment Laboratory is slated for completion in early 2009. Located in the UT-Baptist Research Park in Memphis, the 30,315-gsf (16,250-nsf) project will provide 7,300-sf of BSL-3 research space, 1,257-sf of BSL-2 research space, and 7,695-sf of office and support space. Additionally, UTHSC will initiate construction in the first half of 2009 on a 50,000-sf to 70,000-sf vivarium adjacent to the RBL. Completion is expected in 2010.

Pfizer is investing $3 million to expand its Animal Genetics unit in Kalamazoo, Mich. Twenty employees will be relocated to Building 300 from a site in Louisiana that will be closed. The new Animal Genetics unit will open in March of 2009. The project is part of Pfizer’s $50 million consolidation of its Veterinary Medicine Research and Development operations to the Kalamazoo campus. Researchers will be transferred from sites in Richland Township, Pa., and Sandwich, U.K.

The University of Kentucky broke ground on a $28.5 million expansion and renovation of the Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center in Lexington in September of 2008. The project will include the construction of a necropsy laboratory wing and an administrative wing, nearly doubling the size of the existing 38,000-sf building, which will be completely renovated. The facility will also switch to alkaline digestion for tissue disposal. Completion is expected by 2010.

Montana State University began construction on the $16 million Animal Bioscience building in Bozeman in September of 2008. The three-story, 40,000-sf facility will house classrooms, research laboratories, and a teaching lab for anatomy, physiology, animal nutrition, and genetics. A technology transfer room will provide interactive video capabilities allowing information to be shared throughout the state. The project broke ground in June of 2008 with completion slated for 2010. The facility is being constructed by Swank Enterprises of Valier, Mont.

The University of Texas at Brownsville is planning to construct the $34 million Biomedical Research Laboratories + Community Sciences Building. Comprised of a biomedical research building and a general classroom facility connected by a courtyard, the project is designed by SHW Group of Dallas with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant.

The University of Queensland opened the $33 million Centre for Advanced Animal Science (CAAS) on its Gatton campus in September of 2008. The biocontainment facility will house laboratories for disease and vaccine research, group and individual animal pens, and cattle handling facilities. The project was designed by S2F and built by McNab Constructions. CAAS is a joint venture of the University of Queensland and the Queensland Government.

Montana State University dedicated the Jutila Research Laboratory and the Johnson Family Livestock Facility in August of 2008. The $2.5 million, 3,500-sf Jutila Research Lab accommodates BSL-3 infectious disease research. The $3.4 million, 7,500-sf Johnson Family Livestock Facility will support BSL-2 large animal veterinary research.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will dedicate the National Biodefense Analysis & Countermeasures Center (NBACC) on October 22, 2008. Part of the National Interagency Biodefense Campus at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md., NBACC will support biological threat characterization and bioforensic research. The 160,000-sf lab will employ approximately 120 people and will include a vivarium and BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratories.

In an effort to help address a national shortage of veterinarians certified to work with laboratory animals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has begun a new residency program in laboratory animal medicine. The program began in July of 2008 and combines 200 hours of academic coursework at Emory University’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center with 2,000 hours of hands-on experience in CDC’s high containment laboratories.

Washington State University (WSU) is planning a $57 million Agricultural Research Service research facility in Pullman. The project will house laboratories for the study of plant genetics, crop and animal diseases, and soil management. The project is part of a seven-building Sciences/Biotechnology complex that includes the $62-million Biotechnology/Life Sciences Facility and the $35 million School for Global Animal Health.