The overall goal of this submission is to acquire new equipment to enhance the animal care and use program in support of research in animal facilities at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). The equipment will augment the capacity of the main vivarium to support a diverse array of research studies. The objectives to accomplish this goal will focus on three general areas aimed at improving animal care, enrichment and research support. First, limitations in surgery and diagnostic capability will be addressed through the purchase of an ultrasound imaging system, digital x-ray system and the addition of a new anesthesia ventilator apparatus for our anesthesia system. These will be used within the vivarium in support of multiple large- intermediate animal surgeries, including NIH-funded reproductive studies using non-human primates (NHPs). Secondly, enhancements to improve the socialization opportunities for monkeys will be accomplished by the purchase of enrichment cages and tunnels that will complement our current enrichment program for NHPs. Thirdly, we will enhance and expand housing capacities for rodents. This will be accomplished by the acquisition of new ventilated rack cage systems to replace outdated static cage units for housing rats in satellite labs related to sleep and behavioral studies, (2) obtaining new passive, green-related rack systems for housing of mice in the main vivarium, and (3) acquiring metabolic cages to allow for new areas of study to be undertaken in diabetes and obesity. EVMS is a young (established 1973) community-based medical school The medical school is a research-intensive institution, with basic and clinical research as an integral part of the medical school's mission of educating medical professionals and improving health care. Research is focused within four areas with an emphasis on translational biomedical applications: Cancer Biology and Infectious Disease, Obesity and Diabetes, Vascular Illness, and Women's and Infants'Health. The focal areas encourage intellectual cross-talk among members of the basic science and clinical departments and there is a growing utilization of diverse and complex animal models supporting the research within these areas of focus. Providing resources for the animal care and use program at EVMS is thus a key component to the school's research mission. EVMS is committed to the highest quality of animal care and resources. The equipment requested in this proposal will ensure that high standards of animal care and use at EVMS are met and enhance the research activities of its research faculty during a time of growth in its translational research programs.
