The Life Sciences Department at IIT Research Institute (IITRI) presently operates a fully AAALAC-accredited animal facility for research and testing programs in the areas of experimental and regulatory toxicology,carcinogenesis and cancer chemoprevention, cancer chemotherapy, immunology and immunotoxicology, artificial blood substitutes, and AIDS therapeutics. Federal and non-federal sources provide approximately equal levels of financial support for these programs. IITRI's animal facilities and programs have been fully accredited by AAALAC since September of 1975. During this span of time, these facilities have occupied portions of two buildings in the IITRI complex; notably the Chemistry Research Building (CRB), and the Life Sciences Research Building (LSR). Although these two buildings have provided excellent facilities for the aforementioned research and testing programs, the cost of maintaining the aging Chemistry Research Building by AAALAC standards has become prohibitive. In order to continue to maintain the high standards set by AAALAC, the Animal Welfare Act, and the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, IITRI management proposes to close the CRB and move all animal-related research and testing activities from that building to a new location. Moving the existing cage washing equipment to a new location has been deemed """"""""not cost-effective"""""""" by IITRI management personnel. Therefore, we propose the acquisition of new cage washing equipment and are requesting matching funds to help defray the costs of purchase and installation in a new, state-of-the-art animal facility.
