This application seeks funds for the construction of the first Animal Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory (A-BSL-3) in the Division of Laboratory Animal Research at the Health Sciences Center at Stony Brook University. The A- BSL-3 will have three suites for work with small laboratory animals, an insectary, and an imaging suite with an adjacent room for work with large laboratory animals. The planned structure will be a 16,140 ft sq. strict BSL-3 controlled-access facility for research involving laboratory animals and studies with the Select Agents Francisella tularensis and Yersinia pestis (both CDC Category A);Mycobacterium tuberculosis;pathogens of unknown in vivo virulence;arthropods infected with human and veterinary pathogens;or any investigations using laboratory animals that may require stringent laboratory security. The imaging suite is designed to allow operation under A-BSL-3 or A-BSL-2 conditions, which will permit access to its equipment by all University investigators in the biological and medical sciences and to investigators at the adjacent institutions of Brookhaven National Laboratory and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The A-BSL-3 will be equipped with the following fixed equipment: Class II Biosafety Cabinets, a pass-thru cold room, fume hoods, cage and rack washers, ventilated animal housing equipment, and a pass-through autoclave. The A-BSL-3 facility will serve an initial group of investigators with solid funding in infectious disease research through the National Institutes of Health, and a secondary group of investigators, also funded by the NIH. The A-BSL-3 facility will further enhance synergy among the researchers involved in the infectious disease enterprise at Stony Brook University and adjacent institutions. At completion, the A-BSL-3 will meet all the requirements of federal and state laws, and the standards recommended by the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care. An administrative management team consisting of a PI (Dr. Samuel L. Stanley), an Executive Committee, the Director and Assistant Director of Facilities Design and Construction, a Scientific Users Committee, and the Director of the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources will oversee the construction and use of the facility. The A-BSL-3 at Stony Brook University will fulfill the objectives of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and the Funding Opportunity Announcement Recovery Act Limited Competition: Extramural Research Facilities Improvement Program (C06) as it will: enhance the conduct of Public Health Service-supported biomedical research by supporting the costs of improving animal facilities to meet the biomedical research needs of an institution;be built to incorporate green/sustainable technologies and design approaches;and create and maintain American jobs.
