UW Swine Housing Room and Treatment Suite for Biomedical Research

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal describes the creation of a vital Swine Housing Room and associated Treatment Suite in the Clinical Sciences Center vivarium at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Clinical Sciences Center (CSC) is a central hub for both research and clinical activities that promote the goals and objectives of the University of Wisconsin (UW) School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) as well as the UW Hospital and Clinics. The CSC is located at the west end of the UW-Madison campus, and houses the UW Hospital and Clinics and several SMPH clinical departments. The CSC adjoins the School of Pharmacy, the School of Nursing, the American Family Children's Hospital, the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR), and the Health Sciences Learning Center (HSLC), which is the School's primary teaching facility for medical students. The CSC animal facility occupies 26,902 square feet, and includes 37 rooms for housing animals. The SMPH has committed $1.3 million to remodel the CSC vivarium. The $1.3 million remodeling project includes upgrade of the facility rack wash room and washer unit, the creation of dedicated necropsy space as well as equipment storage and veterinary supplies and records rooms, and the improvement of two large animal housing rooms, including the installation of slip resistant impervious flooring and modern sanitation infrastructure. This remodeling project does not include funds for final facility preparation including the purchase of additional animal housing units, nor the creation of a dedicated treatment suite with necessary veterinary equipment. After remodeling, this vivarium will serve as the primary SMPH USDA-covered species housing facility for the next decade and beyond. Pigs, owing to their size and strength, require specialized facilities to assure animal well-being and protect the health and safety of research and animal care personnel. While the CSC K4 vivarium has excellent procedure space available for research utilizing swine, it currently lacks dedicated, fully outfitted facilities for swine hosing and large animal treatment. This proposal seeks $476,480 in NIH funding to complete and fully outfit an unfinished 1,497 assignable square feet (ASF) remodeled space within the CSC K4 module to ensure the proper housing of swine, and 415 ASF for large animal veterinary care and treatment. The Swine Housing Room will contain 16 purpose-built pens, and will have the capability to house research swine either singly or socially. The Treatment Suite will include a dedicated preparation room directly connected to a treatment room suitable for animal examination, diagnostic procedures, and the administration of non-surgical and surgical care. A feed and supplies storage room will be adjacent to the Treatment Suite. This request includes final facility design and preparation costs such as the purchase and installation of environmental controls and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems to serve the Swine Housing Room and the Treatment Suite, as well as animal watering service drops to the housing pens. In addition, this project requests funding for the purchase and installation of housing units and associated swine-specific care, transport, and husbandry equipment, as well as needed veterinary care equipment to outfit the treatment suite. This project will result in the creation o a fully equipped, dedicated Swine Housing Room in close proximity to a Treatment Suite within the same secure facility. Both the Swine Housing Room and the Treatment Suite are adjacent to state-of-the-art research space, including the existing angiography and cardiovascular physiology cores. After completion, the CSC K4 module will serve as the SMPH's only large animal housing facility for the next decade and beyond. This proposal seamlessly integrates into the K4 vivarium module project and, when completed, will create a modern species-dedicated Swine Housing Room and a Treatment Suite suitably designed for animal care with appropriate support and storage space. Completion of this project will ensure compliance with federal regulations, improve animal care, and eliminate stress on animals caused by current housing, husbandry, and transport practices. This facility will not only support the extensive SMPH animal program, it will also be made available to researchers and veterinarians across the entire campus to improve animal care and well-being at UW-Madison.