The purpose of this request is to provide cage, sanitation systems, and animal care support equipment for the new centralized University of Oregon animal facility. This will be part of a larger project which will centralize animal resources physically, bring the university into full compliance with NIH guidelines, and lead to application for accreditation through the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC). Our existing cage and sanitation systems are antiquated, inefficient, and lack standardization. New cage systems and cage washing equipment will increase efficiency via a reduction in labor intensive operations, and correspondingly will improve sanitation. The caging/sanitation systems and support equipment requested will be located in a new animal facility of approximately 6000 NSF that will include all service areas recommended by the NIH Guide. Location of the facility will be central to users, and it will eliminate the need for all five of the existing mammalian satellite facilities. The need for the new facility was first recognized in 1979. Since that time reorganization of the administrative structure of the animal resource has also occurred. The university is now committed to an animal resource which is in compliance with all NIH guidelines and eligible for AAALAC accreditation. The funds requested here will enable this goal to be met.
