The long-term objectives are to provide researchers at Montana State University with a superior animal care and use environment that is supportive of ongoing programs and conductive to the continued expansion of biomedical and agricultural research requiring well-defined laboratory animals. Recent grant awards require the use of animal models for funded research relating to the fetal alcohol syndrome, diabetes, mechanisms of tumor metastasis, osteopetrosis, the organization of spinal reflexes and a variety of studies involving animal, plant and human pathogens.
The specific aims of this proposal are to improve the efficiency of cage and bottle sanitation and preparation within the Animal Resources Center (ARC) by the purchase and installation of a tunnel washer/dryer and bedding dispenser and to further develop the ARC to accommodate centralized animal utilization by providing biocontainment and laminar flow hoods and gas anesthesia equipment for use within this centralized small laboratory animal facility.
