? Over the past seven years, The Saban Research Institute (TSRI) of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) has experienced a substantial growth at multiple levels. Research faculty recruitment has increased by 146percent, extramural funding for research has almost doubled, NIH funding has more than doubled, endowments have increased by 250%, and space has increased by 160% with the completion in June 2003of a new research facility, the Saban Research building that is home of a new state-of-the-art animal care facility (ACF). As a result, the population of rodents in the ACF has doubled over the last 3 years. The facility is equipped with the most modern equipment in small rodent husbandry including ventilated high-efficiency-particulate-air (HEPA) filtered rodent housing systems and their accessories. By the end of the year 2006, the facility will be equipped with 4,920 cages (equivalent to 12,220 rodents), and could accommodate a total of 6,460 cages (16,070 rodents) with the purchase of additional caging systems (racks). The goal of this application is to insure that as TSRI continues to expand its research activities, its ACF is simultaneously upgraded to meet the increased demand for animal housing from current investigators and investigators to be recruited. This will be achieved through the purchase of 19 individually ventilated caging systems over the next 3 years to handle additional 1,830 cages to have 3,850 additional rodents and provide swing racks for maintenance and cleaning. This will also insure that the ACF continues to provide the highest standard in animal care in full compliance with the USDA Animal Welfare Act and PHS policies in regard to animal facilities. ? ? Specific aim:
The aim of this proposal is to increase the capacity of our ACF to allow the housing of 12,220 rodents by the purchase of 19 HEPA-filtered, ventilated rodent housing unit systems and accessories. ? ? ?
