? The overall goals of the animal care and use program of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) are to meet the needs of the institution's biomedical research community and its collaborators by 1) providing high quality laboratory animals of known health status and background; 2) providing animal husbandry and veterinary services in a functional viviarium; 3) assuring compliance of all animal- and occupational safety-related regulations and guidelines; and 4) maintaining a knowledgeable, compassionate and customer-responsive work force at all levels. The department at MGH that is responsible for animal husbandry, veterinary care, and other usual tasks is the Center for Comparative Medicine and Laboratory Animal Services (CCM). To meet these goals and accommodate an increasing number of research protocols requiring intensive and sophisticated veterinary care, greater security surveillance, and specialized caging, MGH is upgrading its large animal research capabilities and facilities.
The specific aims of this submission are: 1. To improve pre- and peri-operative anesthesia during surgery and similar procedures, through the use of updated anesthesia equipment, anesthetic monitoring devices and surgery equipment (lights, tables, etc.). 2. To improve post-operative monitoring and support through the use of modem intensive care units and defibrillators. 3. To improve veterinary diagnostics by procuring clinical pathology analyzers, digital radiology, ultrasound, and necropsy equipment. 4. To assure a high level of security by installing digital surveillance cameras in all hallways and entrances to the large animal facility. 5. To enhance large animal, in particular nonhuman primate, housing with paired housing caging and additional environmental enrichment. 6. To update equipment used for handling conscious nonhuman primates to enhance animal welfare, minimize adverse effects on research data, and ensure personnel safety. ? ?
