Animal Research

Despite years of planning, in-depth professional experience, and multiple layers of oversight, things often do not work as planned at biocontainment laboratories. Even when they meet all safety and security requirements, facilities may run into unexpected life cycle costs which only become evident after a year or two of occupancy and operation, says Tim Mandrell, DVM, director of lab animal care for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHTC) Regional Biocontainment Laboratory. Knowing what problems to look and prepare for can help minimize costly facility downtime.

When the Institute for Animal Health in Pirbright, U.K., launched a significant upgrade of aging infrastructure to improve health- and safety-related systems at its high-level containment facilities, project leaders undertook a benchmarking process to determine how much the upgrades would cost to operate and how Pirbright's organizational structure compared with similar facilities in preparing to meet long-range goals.

Researchers at the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the United Kingdom have developed a way to safely anesthetize and transfer animals from BSL-3 and BSL-4 containment to a mobile imaging facility for CT and MRI scans without breaking the containment barrier. The process allows them to obtain the high-resolution, three-dimensional images necessary for their research without building a costly suite onsite.

The need to minimize risk governs almost every aspect of building operation at biocontainment facilities, presenting special management and operational challenges. With safety and security such paramount priorities, the rigorous environment is further complicated by sophisticated infrastructure, multiple user groups, and a mix of personnel with varied competencies and skill levels.

The University of Leicester opened a £16 million animal research facility in September of 2012 in the United Kingdom. The three-story, 48,000-sf Central Research Facility provides biomedical research laboratories, vivarium space for mice and rats, and advanced imaging suites. Construction began on the project in summer of 2010.

Washington State University dedicated the Paul G. Allen Center for Global Animal Health in September of 2012 in Pullman, Wash. The three-story, 62,000-sf facility features a 5,000-sf BSL-3 laboratory for infectious disease research as well as two floors of BSL-2 research space and an administrative wing housing offices and conference rooms. The facility was designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects and built by Bouten Construction.

Montana State University will open the 31,000-sf Cooley Laboratory in Bozeman in fall of 2012. A $17 million renovation has created an advanced research facility for the study of infectious diseases, neurology, biomedical laser applications, and select agents. Designed by Architects Design Group of Kalispell, Mont., the project was supported by $14.9 million in federal stimulus funding.

West Virginia University broke ground on a $22 million animal research facility in Morgantown in July of 2012. Located adjacent to the existing Health Sciences Center, the 22,000-sf building will provide biosafety laboratories and a rodent vivarium. The project is supported by $14.5 million in federal stimulus funding.

Colorado State University has broken ground for its new Equine Reproduction Laboratory in Fort Collins. The 12,000-sf facility will provide teaching space, microbiology and molecular labs, and exam rooms. The $5 million project will support research in equine diseases and advanced reproductive technologies such as embryo transfer. 

GenScript USA opened the first phase of its R&D campus in Nanjing, China, in June of 2012. Located in the JiangNing Science Park, the 765,000-sf project includes three five-story buildings and two two-story animal research facilities. The campus include a conference center, offices, and research laboratories with advanced equipment for gene synthesis, protein purification and characterization, antibody engineering, and drug assays. Ground was broken on the facility in 2009.

The Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology opened a 646,000-sf xenotransplantation research facility in May of 2012. Located in Daejeon, South Korea, the $135 million project will support animal research in organ transplants from miniature pigs to primates and the development of regenerative medicine therapies. The facility was developed in partnership with the Korea National Primate Research Center. The duration of construction was three years.

Animal health company Idexx Laboratories broke ground in April of 2012 on a $35.5 million expansion of its corporate headquarters in Westbrook, Maine. A 107,000-sf building will be constructed adjacent to Idexx's existing facility. Accommodating 300 employees, the project will allow Idexx to expand R&D operations. Completion is expected in August of 2013.

The Baker Company has added the AniGARD e3 animal transfer station (ATS) to its line of animal research products. The AniGARD e3 features partially recirculated vertical airflow and a unique momentum air curtain design that greatly enhances its ability to protect both personnel from occupational hazards (allergens) and animals from contamination. The ISO Class 4 (Class 10) clean bench also increases productivity through an improved user experience.

The University of British Columbia opened the $40 million Centre for Comparative Medicine in March of 2012 in Vancouver. The animal research facility provides biomedical research labs and vivarium space. The three-hectare project will replace UBC's existing Animal Care Center and implements new animal welfare and humane animal care standards, including social housing and outside access. 

Virtual Chemistry announced the integration of Mosaic Vivarium with Allentown's Wi-Com Sensus system in March of 2012. Utilizing the same RFID technology employed in other industries to manage high volume inventory, Wi-Com Sensus reads an entire room of cages at once, eliminating time-consuming paper or barcode scans of individual cage locations. Now, high-volume RFID cage census data flows seamlessly into Mosaic Vivarium's web-based laboratory animal resources (LAR) management software.