Animal Research

DRE Veterinary has expanded its product line of veterinary anesthesia machines to include the DRE Titan, a large animal anesthesia system. Engineered for maximum versatility and unmatched accuracy, the Titan is perfect for anesthetizing equine, bovine, and zoological animals. Veterinary surgeons can utilize the DRE Titan Large Animal Anesthesia Machine for simple anesthesia functions like controlling spontaneous breathing, as well as more rigorous functions like controlling animal ventilation.

The National Centre for Zoonosis Research opened in Leahurst in the United Kingdom in March of 2008. Based at the Liverpool University Leahurst veterinary field station, the facility will accommodate collaborative zoonotic disease research. Supported by a £1.7 million grant from the North West Development Agency, the project included renovating a former graduate student housing facility to accommodate a suite of Category 3 laboratories, including a bacterial zoonoses lab, administrative offices, and lecture facilities.

Colorado State University initiated construction in early 2008 on a $42 million Diagnostic Medicine Center in Fort Collins. Sited south of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, the 90,000-sf facility will be comprised of the Clinical Pathology Laboratory, the CSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and the Animal Population Health Institute. Completion is slated for December 2009.

Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) is engaged in an expansion of its diagnostic laboratories in Saskatoon. The facility will house postmortem rooms and laboratories for animal disease diagnosis and will be constructed to national biosafety standards. The project began construction in fall of 2006 and is expected to reach completion in 2008. The existing diagnostic laboratory will be renovated once the expansion is complete. The project is part of a major WCVM construction initiative.

The University of Guelph received $9.5 million from the Ontario government in February of 2008 to create a primary care teaching hospital for the Ontario Veterinary College. The research and education facility will provide an enhanced clinical learning environment for small animal care and enable the college to expand training in nutrition, health and wellness. The University is also receiving $8.1 million to support energy efficiency, infrastructure, and safety improvements.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s BSL-3 laboratory became operational in late January of 2008. The $2.45-million facility supports select agent research in a one-story, permanent, self-contained 1,600-sf building with three individual laboratory rooms: an animal lab, a mechanical room, and shower/change rooms.

Madison Area Technical College (MATC) dedicated its new $350,000 training laboratory for the Lab Animal Caretaker Program in February of 2008. The facility is owned by McAllen Properties and was built by Ruedebusch Development. Construction reached completion in November of 2007. The laboratory supports instruction in animal health, laboratory hygiene, veterinary terminology, and record keeping. MATC also offers a two-year animal technician program to provide qualified staff for local biotech and drug development companies such as Covance.

LAB Research Inc. is engaged in a $40 million expansion of its research facility in Laval, Quebec. Slated for completion in fall of 2008, the project will nearly double LAB’s existing footprint from 87,000-sf to 170,000-sf. Capacity for inhalation toxicology will be significantly expanded and the number of vivarium rooms will be increased 36 to 80.

The University of Pittsburgh has created a vaccine against the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. The vaccine produced a strong immune response in mice and protected them from death following infection with the H5N1 virus. The vaccine was created and tested by the University’s Center for Vaccine Research and Novavax and is undergoing early-phase clinical trial testing in humans in early 2008.

The State of Idaho is planning to construct the Idaho Center for Livestock and Environmental Studies, a $37 million dairy research facility. Possible sites include the Magic Valley area and Minidoka County. Monsanto will contribute $1 million to the facility’s construction, with $4 million in additional contributions expected from other industry partners. The University of Idaho will contribute $20 million, as the facility will support the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The Garvan Institute of Medical Research is constructing a mouse breeding facility in Moss Vale, New South Wales, Australia. The first phase is slated for occupancy in 2008. Owned by the Garvan Institute and operated by Australian BioResources, the facility will supply mice to the University of New South Wales, the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, the University of Newcastle, and the Children's Cancer Institute of Australia.

The University of Oxford is constructing a biomedical research facility on South Parks Road in Oxford, UK. Work on the animal research facility was halted in 2004 due to activist unrest but resumed in November of 2005. Part of an ongoing program of replacing and updating existing laboratory space, the £20 million project will provide world-class facilities, reflecting the University's commitment to animal welfare and scientific progress. The new facility will result in the closure of a number of existing animal facilities.

The United States Department of Homeland Security's Office of Procurement Operations will award approximately $24 million over several years to the Plum Island Animal Disease Center in Orient Point, N.Y. The project will improve research productivity and safety at the BSL-3 facility, which accommodates research on harmful zoological disease agents.

Aurora, Colo.-based Merrick & Company received an engineering excellence award in December of 2007 from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado. Merrick was recognized with a Building/Technology Systems Award for work on the BSL-3Ag Large Animal Health Facility project in Ames, Iowa. Merrick provided detailed architectural and engineering design services for one of the initial elements of the $460 million modernization of the USDA National Centers for Animal Health.

Ohio University is planning to construct a $450,000 animal research facility south of its Athens campus in Hebbardsville. The facility will accommodate large animals including cattle and goats for anatomy and physiology studies. Designed to promote faculty recruitment, the facility will enable research on locomotion, feeding, and craniofacial morphology.