? Tufts University (TU) is a small institution with a large commitment to biomedical research. This commitment is constrained in part by inability to house research animals. This application requests National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) matching funds for expansion and renovation of the AAALAC-accredited animal care facility that serves researchers at both Tufts University and the Tufts-New England Medical Center (Tufts-NEMC). The renovation will include: 1) the conversion of existing inadequate laboratory space into state-of-the-art animal rooms contiguous with the current animal facility; and 2) alterations to the current animal facility to accommodate this addition and improve the usefulness of existing space. This expansion is necessary because the animal census at TU and Tufts-NEMC doubled in the fourteen months between June 2001 and August 2002 and continues to rise. The approved and active recruitment of at least twenty-two new faculty over the next five years will only put more pressure on the animal care facility. A unique opportunity has arisen to expand the animal care facility into the entire floor of an adjoining building and improve the efficiency of the existing facility. The expansion and renovation of the animal facility will serve over 70 researchers who currently receive funding from the PHS. This project will increase their capacity to carry out high quality and high impact biomedical research, which relates directly to TU's long-term goals for research. Expansion and improvements of AAALAC accredited facility will ensure the highest standards of humane care and use of laboratory animals. ? ?
