Improving Animal Facility Management and Research Quality

University Of Pittsburgh At Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The University of Pittsburgh Division of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) manages 12 separate facilities in 11 buildings. Our current mouse census is in excess of 33,000 cages. Significant effort is required by husbandry staff for daily cage monitoring including the presence of food and water, bedding condition, and cage and room temperature and humidity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, due to staffing issues, DLAR switched from changing mouse IVC cages every 7 days to every 14 days. The additional 7 days between cage changes caused an increase in labor to monitor food and water levels and the condition of bedding. Caging systems that would improve cage and room monitoring represent much-needed improvement and flexibility to facility management. This grant seeks funding to provide much needed caging by installing Digital Ventilated Caging (DVC) and Leddy Lighting System caging from Tecniplast in three holding rooms. These cages will allow a pilot program to determine their ability to address the issues and concerns described above. This proposed successful pilot program will provide justification for expanding these caging systems throughout the vivaria over time.