? The Specific Aim of this proposal is: To renovate and upgrade the Primate Rearing Facility and Animal Holding Facility at the Plum Borough Research Center. The proposed renovations include upgrading the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, and security systems; installing computer networks; installing a centralized building management system, providing adequate staff locker rooms and lunch facilities; improving animal quarantine facilities; and improving non-human primate procedure areas. As part of these efforts, we propose construction of a 8,000 gross square foot structure linking the Primate Rearing Facility with the Animal Holding Facility to form a single inter-connected building and relocating all animal care and use functions from the Primate Research Laboratory into the newly constructed PRF/AHF complex. ? ? The specific aim of this proposal is to upgrade the NHP-based research infrastructure at the PBRC to standards necessary to meet the long-term needs of the NHP-based research at the University of Pittsburgh. These changes will have the overall effect of improving the ability of the Animal Care and Use Program to continue to meet Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations, PHS guidelines, and USDA policies concerning NHP health, housing, and psychological well-being. The renovations will, through consolidation, provide more efficient delivery of husbandry, psychological enrichment, and veterinary services at the PBRC. These renovations and improvements will also serve to ensure continued Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALAC), International accreditation. We propose these renovations to ensure that the PBRC remains an active biomedical research resource into the foreseeable future. ? ?
