Funds are requested to help renovate the Jobn B. Pierce Laboratory animal facilities. Three outmoded animal holding rooms and a food storage closet are presently located in a corridor containing both staff offices and laboratory facilities in which human subjects are tested. The present, poorly-configured arrangement creates a bidirectional problem in that the microbiological stability of our animal colonies is compromised while the human population is exposed to potential allergens and other biological contaminants. We propose to reconstruct these animal rooms in an area immediately adjacent to the primary Pierce Laboratory animal facility, thereby allowing the entire animal quarters to be isolated and secured away from areas heavily used by humans. As part of the renovation, new self-contained heating and air conditioning systems will be installed to replace existing but timeworn systems currently in use. The efficiency of animal care will be greatly enhanced by this renovation, the quality of the animals' environment will be substantially improved, and hazards to personnel working in the area will be correspondingly reduced.
