The CRPRC is proposing to replace the Building, designated Temporary Building (TB 196) that currently houses the Brain, Mind and Behavior (BMB) Unit on the CRPRC campus with a new foundation and a metal frame building with overall dimensions of 7,433 sq. ft. The new structure will accommodate several existing programs of research that are focused on Child Health and Disease. All four Research Units at the CRPRC have research currently in progress in the area of Childhood Health, and this is an area of research focus that will continue to expand Center-wide. As an initial step, construction of the proposed facility will permit consolidation of existing programs in the BMB Unit, and will serve the long-term objective of expanding and integrating the research effort in pediatric health-related issues by current staff scientists, new faculty recruits, and by developing additional collaborations with staff scientists in other units that share this investigational focus.
The specific aim of this application is to provide high quality testing and laboratory space for the biobehavioral research in the BMB Unit that is focused on Childhood Health and Disease. The building will include 1,646 sq. ft. of behavioral testing space, three rooms of animal housing space totaling 1,100 sq. ft. (including mother-infant, nursery and juvenile housing), one wet laboratory of 231 sq. ft., one wet laboratory of 467 sq. ft. and one wet laboratory of 472 sq. ft.. In addition, there will be a surgical suite (comprising an animal preparation area, a surgeon preparation suite and a surgery to accommodate extended neurosurgical procedures), a room for shared equipment (freezer, refrigerator, centrifuge), and a small preparation room for technician use.
