Animal Research

The International Microbiome Centre (IMC) at the University of Calgary houses one of the largest germ-free facilities in the world and the only one that has incorporated intra-vital imaging. Constructed in a portion of the basement at the Cumming School of Medicine, the germ-free facility complements the other microbiome platforms—including mass cytometry, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, bioinformatics, biobanking, and live cell imaging—by providing a model system in which to study the microbiome. The center provides a sterilized housing environment, where researchers explore the microbiome and its impact through adding bacteria to germ-free models and analyzing what those bacteria do to the animals’ immune systems, organs, and overall health.

Masonic Medical Research Institute is constructing a large-animal research facility in its existing building in Utica, N.Y. The $15 million project includes the renovation of a 5,500-sf basement to provide lab space for five investigators and a procedural suite for studies on pigs, sheep, goats, and rabbits. The investment will also support the recruitment of up to 30 new employees.

The Pirbright Institute will begin construction in early 2019 on the £50 million Brooksby Building in the United Kingdom. Designed to promote interaction and collaboration between investigators, the 51,000-sf facility will feature sophisticated biocontainment laboratories for the detection, diagnosis, and study of zoonotic diseases and livestock pathogens, as well as providing small animal vivarium space for in vivo research programs. The general contractor for the project is Kier and occupancy is expected by 2021.

The Vaccines Manufacturing Innovation Centre is planning to create a £66 million research and production facility in the United Kingdom. Located in the Oxford Science Park, the project will support the development and manufacturing of vaccines for clinical trials and epidemic threat mitigation, as well as the creation of gene therapy technologies and personalized medicine solutions.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is planning to build a $5 million, 12,490-sf gnotobiotic mouse vivarium adjacent to its existing rodent facility on the East Campus. Providing labs, procedure rooms, a conference room, a staff locker room, and animal holding space, the germ-free facility is being created by the Nebraska Food for Health Center to support research on the human microbiome. Construction will begin in 2019 with completion expected in summer of 2020.

West Texas A&M University will begin construction in December of 2018 on two new veterinary facilities in Canyon, Texas. The $22 million Veterinary Education, Research & Outreach Center will house three BSL-2 labs, a multipurpose teaching lab, a large partitionable classroom, offices, a student commons, and a graduate student bullpen. Offering 22,564 net assignable square feet, the building will include shell space for additional teaching, research, and instructional facilities.

The nation’s academic biomedical research facilities are largely unprepared for natural and man-made disasters that could damage buildings, equipment, IT systems, and materials, and ultimately jeopardize research and scientific careers. A recently released study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine calls for institutions and scientists to focus on risk assessment and resilience planning to secure their capital and research investments. In order to do that successfully, institutions need to expand their emergency response and recovery plans and think beyond current building codes, which focus on the life safety needs of the occupants but have yet to account for the significant risks posed to their research programs.

The University of Wyoming broke ground in November of 2018 on the $100 million Science Initiative building in Laramie. Designed by GSG Architecture and Perkins&Will, the 153,000-sf facility will provide leading-edge research labs, imaging suites, collaboration spaces, a vivarium, a greenhouse, and a 200-seat active-learning classroom. Supporting the university's Tier-1 Engineering Initiative, the interdisciplinary project will accommodate STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Emory University will begin construction in fall of 2019 on a $260 million biomedical research facility in Atlanta. Designed by HOK, the 300,000-sf facility will provide labs and offices for researchers engaged in the study of immunology, neurology, oncology, cardiology, and biomedical imaging. The project represents an expansion of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center and may include an animal research vivarium and a cage wash. Occupancy is expected in December of 2021. 

South Dakota State University broke ground in October of 2018 on the $46.1 million Raven Precision Agriculture Center in Brookings. The 129,000-sf facility will provide collaborative classrooms and laboratories for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and the College of Engineering. Accommodating sophisticated instrumentation for data analytics and leading-edge farm equipment, the building will include flexible research areas for academic and industry partners.

Boehringer Ingelheim opened its $81 million global center for veterinary vaccine development in October of 2018. Located in Lyon, France, the four-story, 156,000-sf facility provides research and development laboratories for the creation of animal vaccines for diseases such as rabies and avian influenza. Designed as an international center for biological excellence, the project features scalable production suites and can accommodate 200 employees.

Washington State University broke ground in September of 2018 on the $61.3 million Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Pullman. Built as an addition to the existing Paul G. Allen Center for Global Animal Health, the 62,500-sf project will accommodate the detection and diagnosis of zoonotic diseases and infectious agents such as avian influenza, BSE, foot and mouth disease, West Nile virus, and pandemic flu. The facility will also house teaching labs for programs in veterinary medicine. Completion is expected by January of 2021.

The University of Tennessee opened the $118 million Ken and Blaire Mossman Building in September of 2018 in Knoxville. Designed by McCarty Holsaple McCarty and Lord Aeck Sargent to promote interdepartmental collaboration, the six-story, 222,000-sf facility accommodates programs in microbiology, biochemistry, psychology, nutrition, and cellular and molecular biology.

Premier BioSource broke ground in August of 2018 on a $7.5 million facility for the production of research swine in Rensselaer, Ind. The 78,000-sf farrow-to-finish complex will accommodate 600 breeding sows, housing a total of 4,752 pigs at full capacity. The facility is strategically sited in Jasper county to enable Premier BioSource to meet the needs of clients in the eastern United States. Completion is expected by June of 2019.

LA BioMed is planning to build a $63 million bioscience research facility on its existing campus in Torrance, Calif. The four-story building will include an 18,000-sf business incubator able to accommodate up to 30 companies at full capacity. The project will support the translation of research discoveries into innovative solutions and products. Occupancy is expected in February of 2019.