The NIEHS Children's Environmental Health Sciences Core Center provides research support to a cadre of scientists who use aquatic animals as model organisms in their biomedical research. With a focus on toxicology and environmental health, the Center has recently moved to emphasize the zebrafish as a prime model in developmental toxicology. Targeted hiring at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the formation of the inter-institutional Children=s Environmental Health Institute have greatly expanded the Center=s membership and made it necessary to undertake the conversion of the Aquatic Animal Facility (AAF) from a general purpose biomedical aquatic animal facility to one that focuses on the zebrafish and also can provide care for a few other fish species. The objective is establish a unit that supports high survival rates and use of all life stages from the embryo to the adult of these fish species. In this context, the proposal requests funds for remodeling the facility with the following specific aims: (1) To provide a secure, keyless access system for the facility and its internal rooms and emergency power to the facility. (2) To physically remodel the entry space to the fish facility so that fish obtained from exogenous sources (e.g. wild caught or from other animal facilities) are physically separated from in-house fish stocks, thus, reducing the potential for introducing disease into the fish facility stocks, while maintaining the ability to introduce fresh genetic stocks. (3) To install a large capacity deionized water system with an automated injector to augment or replace the dechlorinated water system presently used to supply water to the fish. (4) To acquire and install water quality monitoring systems for each recirculating and flow through rack system for maintenance of water quality. The monitoring systems would monitor in real time the levels of dissolved oxygen, pH salinity, and temperature and alert appropriate personnel when any of the monitored components wnet outside designated parameters. (5) To replace standard lab height benches with lower benches for use with stereo dissecting microscopes. (6) To acquire stereo and inverted microscopes. (7) To obtain a cryogenic system with freezing rate control and liquid nitrogen based storage system for generating and maintaining frozen sperm as back ups for valued zebrafish strains. (8) To purchase a replacement autoclave to provide sterilization capacity for the facility.
(provided by applicant): The Aquatic Animal Facility is a unique unit that supports the use of zebrafish by providing scientists with husbandry support, specialized facilities, and staff expertise. The zebrafish is a prime developmental biological model. Its existence has facilitated the assembly of a critical mass of basic and clinical investigators who collaborate and use this model to understand the origins of reproductive and developmental diseases and disorders, particularly those related to cardiac and neurological development.
