The Research Animal Facility (RAF) of the AHFCC is a centralized unit located in the Naylor Dana Institute for Disease Prevention (NDI), representing the only resource for housing laboratory animals within the AHF. The objectives of the facility are to maintain research animals according to the principles of proper animal care and use, and to generate quality research data from the conduct of animal experiments. The facility not only provides routine animal care and maintenance through a team of trained animal care technicians, but also provides a specialized service for conducting the procedures involved in animal experimentation carried out by a team of skilled, qualified research biologists. The RAF occupies a net of 10,030 square feet (14,200 gross square feet) designed around a conventional clean, dirty corridor system supporting a cage-wash area and a central bank of 14 animal holding rooms for rodents and rabbits only. Special purpose areas include two quarantine rooms; a semi-barrier room for immunodeficient mice; three treatment rooms when biocontainment or canopy hoods; metabolism, necropsy and clinical laboratories, food and bedding storage rooms; and diet mixing kitchen. The facility has its own air-handling system which maintains on average a temperature of 72 +/-8 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity of 50 +/-10% providing 15-20 changes of fresh air per hour to the animal rooms. The facility is also fitted with an automated watering system. The RAF operatives strictly according to regulatory guidelines. The animal care and use program is monitored by a 9-member Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee(IACUC) which ensures compliance with Public Health Service policy regarding welfare and humane treatment of laboratory animals. The Committee includes the Attending Veterinarian, an external non-affiliated lay-person, and scientific and non-scientific AHF staff. The facility has received full accreditation by the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) since being established in 1976, and come under triennial site-review to maintain this status. The facility is also inspected on a regular basis each year by both Federal and State governments and periodically by officers of the Food and Drug Administration. The AHF Biosafety and Biohazard Facility monitors the use of hazardous chemicals and other agents within the facility.
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