? Research on chronic diseases has been and will continue to be an important and well-funded component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported research program at the SNPRC. The ongoing success of chronic disease research is dependent upon the continued provision of high-quality clinical care; however, growth in investigator research support and animal utilization has taxed ability to provide necessary clinical care and support for NHPs. This application requests funding to improve existing animal care facilities to fulfill the following long-term objectives: 1) to modernize and expand the Institution's capacity for providing clinical care for treating NHPs, especially baboons, that are active participants in or are being held for future research protocols; 2) to equip the renovated treatment rooms with additional examination tables, gurneys, carts, and procedure lights which are needed to provide high-quality animal care; 3) to upgrade the Institution's radiographic capabilities by acquisition of digital x-ray equipment; and 4) to bring the facilities into compliance with current National Research Council (NRC) ventilation recommendations for animal care areas. The proposed alteration and renovation will remediate current inefficiencies of space utilization and traffic movement and will utilize the space gained to create a larger treatment area. Clinical procedure capabilities will be expanded and modernized with needed equipment, and a critical care area will be established adjacent to the clinic area. An office space currently adjacent to the clinic will be relocated away from animal care areas. Finally, the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system will be replaced with a system that supplies 100 percent flesh air. The net result of the proposed renovations is to modernize aged facilities and to increase institutional capacity for provision of high-quality animal care. ? ?
