Animal Research

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center was awarded $15 million in federal stimulus funding in spring of 2010 to create an advanced barrier vivarium in New York. The $20 million project comprises expansion of an existing vivarium by fitting out the cellar and associated interstitial/mechanical space of a contiguous building. Housing 31 small animal holding rooms and 13 procedure labs, the expansion will provide 23,450 individually ventilated mouse cages with the capacity to house approximately 100,000 mice.

New York State Psychiatric Institute is planning to build a satellite animal research facility in New York City. Providing laboratories, surgical suites, and a vivarium, the 3,300-sf project will be constructed in existing shell space in NYSPI’s newest building. The facility is supported by $2.78 million in federal stimulus funding and will house primarily mice and rats in high-density ventilated cages.

Duke University will construct a two-story addition to its Central Vivarium in Durham, N.C., to provide large animal housing and procedure space. The 19,215-gsf (16,762-nsf) project will facilitate consolidation of USDA-covered species in a single vivarium and will enable sharing of advanced equipment. Designed to be fully integrated into Duke’s Division of Laboratory Animal Resources, the facility will house non-human primates, agricultural animals, and canines. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the addition.

East Tennessee State University is initiating a renovation of its basic science and clinical research facilities in Johnson City. Supported by $9.1 million in federal stimulus funding, the project will renovate laboratories in the 105,000-sf Building 119. Infrastructure upgrades will replace outdated mechanical and electrical systems and specialized laboratories will be constructed for microscopy, tissue culture, and animal research.

Duke University will create a biomedical research facility in the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences in Durham, N.C. Supported by $4.2 million in federal stimulus funding, the project includes conversion of existing shell space to house a vivarium, research laboratories, and offices. Supporting translational research for the development of advanced therapeutics, the facility will provide 2,520 mouse cages, 480 rat cages, and 40 cages for other species.

Emory University will construct an ABSL-3 facility at Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta. Supporting research on infectious diseases and transplant medicine, the project will include secure laboratories and nonhuman primate housing. Featuring specialized housing facilities for immunocompromised animals, the project will include separate air handling systems for the transplant medicine and ABSL3 areas to eliminate the possibility of cross contamination. Construction of the facility is supported by $14.8 million in federal stimulus funding.

The University of Nevada, Reno’s Center for Molecular Medicine will open in September of 2010. Designed by Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, the $77 million facility will house research laboratories, containment suites, offices, an auditorium, and a vivarium for 40,000 mice. Ground was broken on the 116,500-sf project in March 2007. The facility will accommodate research in microbiology, pharmacology, and physiology.

The University of Florida's $90.5 million Biomedical Sciences Building in Gainesville was awarded LEED Gold sustainable design certification in July of 2010. The eight-story, 163,000-sf translational research facility houses the Health Science Center Colleges, the Biomedical Engineering Department of the College of Engineering, and Animal Care Services. The building opened in November of 2009 and was dedicated in May of 2010.

Washington State University broke ground on the $35 million School for Global Animal Health on June 25, 2010. The 62,000-sf facility is sited adjacent to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Pullman. Housing research laboratories for the study of zoonotic diseases, emerging pathogen detection, and vaccine development, the three-story project is slated for completion in spring of 2012. The project team includes Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects and Bouten Construction Company.

Memphis Bioworks Foundation will construct a $23.4 million animal research laboratory in the UT-Baptist Research Park in Memphis, Tenn. The 25,000-sf vivarium will support research in orthopedics, vaccine development, and pharmacology.

NuAire announced the release of the Allergard 619 animal transfer station (ATS) in June of 2010. The unit is ergonomic, portable, and energy efficient, and its lightweight design and caster base allow the Allergard 619 to go anywhere in the lab. The Allergard 619 ATS is the only animal transfer station to allow 10” legroom and 12” adjustable work surface height. A prop-up work tray, spill proof drip tray, built-in magnifying glass, touch-free hand sanitizer, and feed hoppers are just a few options the Allergard 619 Animal Transfer Station has to offer.

Colorado State University will build an imaging facility for the study of BSL-3 pathogens and select agents in Fort Collins. Located in the Judson M. Harper Research Complex, the facility will part of the Infectious Disease Research Center sited adjacent to the Rocky Mountain Regional Biocontainment Laboratory on the Foothills Campus. The project is supported by $6 million in federal stimulus funding and will support biomedical research using animal models. LEED certification will be sought for the facility.

Boise State University will construct the 9,300-sf Biomedical Research Vivarium in Boise, Idaho. The animal housing facility will support multidisciplinary research combining molecular, cellular, biophysical, and biochemical methods. The project is supported by $3.9 million in federal stimulus funding.

The National Research Council released an updated edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals on June 2, 2010.

InVivos is partnering with Taconic to construct a research animal breeding facility in Singapore. Slated for completion by year-end 2011, the facility will produce up to 600,000 rodents annually at full capacity. InVivos will build the project adjacent to the National University of Singapore’s Centre for Animal Resources in Lim Chu Kang.