Funding is requested for completion of the seventh floor of a proposed biomedical science tower to expand BSL-3 laboratory and NHP housing space. Encompassing approximately 18,000 NSF, this area will contain the following: * 5 independent modules conforming to BSL-3 Ag requirements, each containing housing for 24 nonhuman primates (NHP), a procedure room, and laboratory to accommodate simultaneous, independent studies using BSL-3 agents. Animal support services for food preparation, a walk-thru autoclave/decontamination chamber, and cage washer are also included. * A BSL-3 rodent housing area. * A class III biological safety cabinet with ULPA filtered hood exhaust system for anthrax challenge experiments with NHP. * 10 self-contained BSL-3 laboratories equipped with dual Class II, type A2 laminar flow hoods with canopy connections. * BSL-3 common equipment rooms containing centrifuges and a flow cytometer with high speed sorting capability. * Warm and cold rooms. * Administrative office space This facility will enable fulfillment of our obligations as Simian Core for the Middle Atlantic Regional Center for Excellence for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases by providing a facility dedicated to biodefense research. It will also be open to researchers within and outside the University and enable the expansion of vaccine research directed toward Category A-C agents. Lastly, the BSL-3 laboratories will provide needed """"""""surge capacity"""""""" in the event of a public health emergency by offering rapid access to trained personnel, laboratory facilities, and specialized equipment by augmenting existing hospital, state and regional laboratories within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Allegheny County Health Departments.
