Advancing Research-Related Operations with Nonhuman Primate Caging and Enrichment

University Of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB)'s mission is “To improve the human condition and serve the public good of Maryland and society at-large through education, research, clinical care, and service.” In FY 2021, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded $234 million to UMB. In terms of funding received, the School of Medicine ranked 15th compared to other public schools of medicine and 29th overall. High profile research using baboons is part of UMB's research portfolio. Recently, cardiac xenotransplantation research at UMB resulted in a medical breakthrough where the heart of a genetically modified pig was transplanted into a human. This achievement was supported by work done with baboons within UMB's Program for Comparative Medicine and Veterinary Resources (VR) animal facilities. Xenotransplantation may soon be an option for the thousands of people in the United States waiting for transplants, many of whom will die before they receive an organ. Baboons are also used at UMB to study estrogen effects on fetal growth and development as part of a long-term research program in maternal-fetal medicine. As a larger, more sentient species with opposable thumbs, baboon caging, enrichment, welfare, and safety can be quite complex. The groundbreaking xenotransplantation research conducted at UMB is growing, and the need for more animals and new caging has increased. VR's current cage inventory is insufficient to support this growth. In the maternal-fetal research program, breeding animals must be co-housed, which requires flexible cage configurations, larger cages, and additional cages for weaned and juvenile baboons. All animals must be housed in cages of sufficient size to meet the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act Regulations (AWR) and The Guide For The Care And Use Of Laboratory Animals (The Guide). In addition to supporting our growing need for baboons and their housing, modern caging can provide the opportunity for additional enrichment options to improve the welfare and behavioral management of the animals while they are on study. Providing enrichment opportunities to promote species typical behaviors is also a regulatory requirement. Social species of nonhuman primates (NHP) must be housed with other animals unless single housing is justified. This requirement furthers the need for large cages and flexibility in cage configurations that is not consistent with and cannot be achieved with VR's current inventory of baboon cages. Modern caging is also designed with safety features for those who care for and work with these large NHPs. This improves human safety and promotes more productive research with enhanced abilities to safely restrain and manipulate animals in their home cage.