Animal Research

The National Research Council released an updated edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals on June 2, 2010.

InVivos is partnering with Taconic to construct a research animal breeding facility in Singapore. Slated for completion by year-end 2011, the facility will produce up to 600,000 rodents annually at full capacity. InVivos will build the project adjacent to the National University of Singapore’s Centre for Animal Resources in Lim Chu Kang.

Montana State University Bozeman will begin construction in November of 2010 on a $17 million renovation of Cooley Laboratory. Supported by $14.9 million in federal stimulus funding, the project will create a 31,000-sf research facility for the study of infectious and neurological diseases, select agents, and the application of laser physics to biomedical problems. The project architect is Architects Design Group of Kalispell, Mont. Completion is expected in fall of 2012.

Ohio State University is planning two research facility renovation projects in Columbus. Both projects are supported by federal stimulus funding and are slated for completion in 2014. An award of $8 million will support the buildout of 24,000 asf in the Biomedical Research Tower to accommodate the Experimental Therapeutics Program of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Colorado State University (CSU) opened the $53 million Research Innovation Center in Fort Collins in May of 2010. Located on CSU’s Foothills campus, the 72,000-sf facility will support accelerated development of vaccines and therapeutics by co-locating researchers and private industry tenants. The two-story building houses biosafety facilities, wet laboratories, offices, conference rooms, and a vivarium for rodents.

South Dakota State University broke ground on a $9.3 million dairy plant renovation in Brookings in May of 2010. The completed 17,900-sf dairy research and education center will feature advanced filtration, evaporation, and drying equipment for applied research on dairy-based ingredients. Completion is expected in summer of 2011. The project includes renovation of the existing 7,050-sf dairy plant and 10,850 sf of new construction.

The University of Florida dedicated the $90.5 million Biomedical Sciences Building in Gainesville in May of 2010. Supporting translational research, the eight-story, 163,000-sf multidisciplinary facility houses the Health Science Center Colleges, the Biomedical Engineering Department of the College of Engineering, and Animal Care Services. The project team included HuntonBrady Architects as architect of record, Ellenzweig as design architect, and Whiting-Turner Contracting Company as general contractor.

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry was awarded $10 million in federal stimulus funding in April of 2010 to upgrade its research facilities. The sustainably-designed project will create a clinical and translational research center with renovated laboratories and core facilities. Construction will begin in January of 2011 with completion by January of 2012. The project will include expansion of an existing animal research center to three times its current size.

The University of Leicester will begin construction in early summer of 2010 on a £15 million animal research facility in the United Kingdom. The project will provide biomedical research laboratories and vivarium space for mice and rats. Completion is expected in early 2011.

The University of Queensland will begin construction in May of 2010 on a $6.9 million dairy research and teaching facility on its Gatton campus. The project will include laboratories, classrooms, and space for 250 milking cows. Occupancy is expected in late 2010.

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health opened its expanded veterinary vaccine manufacturing plant in April of 2010. Located in the Netherlands at Biosciences Center Boxmeer, the $22 million project increased production space for bacterial vaccines from 1,500 sm to over 5,500 sm. The cGMP facility includes fermentors, cleanrooms, and biocontainment suites. Construction began on the project in December of 2007.

Cobb-Vantress is constructing a $1.8 million laboratory at its headquarters in Siloam Springs. Accommodating disease diagnostics and biotechnology research, the 5,000-sf facility will utilize molecular scanning equipment to analyze samples. Occupancy is expected in early 2011. The sustainably-designed facility will feature advanced HVAC and building insulation systems. Cobb-Vantress is a poultry producer and supplier.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) dedicated its consolidated research laboratory at the National Centers for Animal Health in Ames, Iowa, in April of 2010. The $464 million facility includes the National Animal Disease Center, the National Veterinary Services Laboratory, and the Center for Veterinary Biologics. The 500,000-sf project provides administrative offices, labs, and animal housing space. Construction was completed in April of 2009.

Ohio State University broke ground in April of 2010 on a $22.2 million biocontainment laboratory in Wooster. The 27,000-sf Plant and Animal Agrosecurity Research (PAAR) Facility will house BSL-3 and BSL-3Ag laboratories. The facility will include suites for work on larger animals such as cows and pigs. Completion is expected in summer of 2012.

Advanced BioScience Laboratories is initiating a $10 million expansion of its vivarium in Rockville, Md. The completed project will provide 35,000-sf of animal research and housing space. Scheer Partners is providing site analysis, strategic planning, financing, construction and project management services for the expansion. Additionally, ABL is relocating its headquarters to a three-story, 72,000-sf facility in the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center in Rockville.