This proposal requests support for the construction of a new satellite animal care facility that will facilitate biomedical research and training. The facility will be located in New York City at the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI), a non-federal institution that focuses on clinical and basic research related to a broad spectrum of mental disorders. The proposed facility will provide animal housing and testing space for researchers recently relocated to NYSPI's newest building. In combination with the space freed in the central facility, the new site will yield additional room for the rapid expansion of mouse and primate studies. It will be constructed in 3300 square feet of existing shell space in the Institute's main building. Approximately one third will be dedicated to housing, one third for testing and surgery, and one third for food, bedding, and cage storage, plus common corridors. The facility will be divided into a rat section and a mouse section, each having surgical and general procedure areas, several test rooms, two to three housing rooms, and some rooms of flexible design that can be shifted between testing and housing. Animal husbandry will be minimized by using high-density ventilated cages, an automated watering system, and a vacuum bedding removal system. Dirty racks and cages will be transported through dedicated service hallways and elevators to the Institute's central animal care facility in an adjacent building for cleaning. The design will meet all NIH guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals and health and safety regulations for staff.
