Modernizing microenvironment monitoring and increasing housing capacity through cutting-edge technologies

PROJECT SUMMARY The goal of this project is to meet the evolving needs of NIH and other research at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), maintain a pathogen-free animal research environment, and maintain full accreditation from AAALAC International and full compliance with NIH/OLAW, USDA and other regulatory agencies. This

project will benefit a diverse group of 31 basic and translational investigators who actively use rodent models of human disease housed in the designated facility to conduct research in neurosciences, substance abuse, cancer, metabolomics, regenerative medicine, and biomarker development. The Division of Laboratory Animal

Resources (DLAR) is responsible for providing all laboratory animal services and support for the 6 colleges at MUSC. We support the research needs of 164 unique investigators on campus using animal models. The Thurmond-Gazes facility was built in 1996 and was fitted with animal housing and caging in 1997, which are now

obsolete. Limitations to our current facility include its small rooms, which only fit 2-3 free standing racks each. The free-standing racks and associated microisolators are obsolete. Upgrading the caging with associated integration of remote monitoring of cage microenvironment would increase housing capacity. To further support

this new caging system, the facility plans to upgrade the plumbing for auto watering. This will permit us to decrease cage change frequency to every other week and will eliminate the need for changing water bottles. This will result in decreased costs for labor, decreased risk of allergen exposures, repetitive motion, and

ergonomic injury of personnel. Currently, there is no room for change stations to protect personnel from dander or potential exposures to the animals with the current configuration. With the smaller footprint of the vent racks, in the future we will be able to add change stations to decrease the exposure of our personnel to animal allergens

which will align this facility to present-day OSHA best practices. Methodologies are also advancing the need for more animals in a limited space. We currently use cutting-edge or “emerging” approaches to study complex rodent behaviors using models for studying substance use disorders and neuropsychiatric conditions. Much of

this work relies upon behavioral work in both mice and rats. which, when single housed require substantial housing space. With new caging systems, we can increase our housing in these rooms by 50-100 percent, depending on the room. Increased capacity is critically needed to support rapid, ongoing growth in

neurosciences, substance abuse, and other biobehavioral and biomedical research at MUSC that rely on rodent models of human disease. Support is requested to facilitate research productivity, efficiency, and collaboration among NIH-funded investigators by increasing housing capabilities and increasing personnel safety and the

repeatability of research.