Laboratory Animal Facility

Research Inst Of Fox Chase Can Ctr, Philadelphia PA

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Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT – SHARED RESOURCE: LABORATORY ANIMAL FACILITY The Laboratory Animal Facility (LAF) is essential to the Center’s focus on creation and use of the translational animal models to facilitate the research of FCCC members. The animal care program at FCCC has been fully accredited by AAALAC International since 1969 and has been awarded Emeritus status. The LAF is in full compliance with regulatory agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration and Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare. It is directed by Kelly Patterson, BS/MS, MLAS, RLATg, CMAR, ILAM, with the support of Attending Veterinarian Kate Tuohy, VMD, and 18 LAF management and technical staff. The LAF provides training, animal husbandry, and animal support services for FCCC members who require mice or zebrafish for their research. Zebrafish are a tractable genetic model for functional analysis of human candidate genes in vivo, and for xenotransplantation studies. 30 FCCC members used the LAF for the 12 months ending October 31, 2023. 92% of LAF use supported the science of investigators with peer-reviewed funding and 100% of the use of zebrafish services was in support of peer-review funded investigators for the 12 months ending October 31, 2023. For the period 2019-2023 (October), the LAF was utilized by 46 FCCC members from all three Research Programs and led to 90 funded grants and 96 publications. The LAF presently comprises: 1) the Comparative Medical Research Building (CMRB; opened 2014; 12,511 SF); 2) the recently re-occupied, central LAF, which was built in 1964 and completely refurbished from 2019-2023 ($2.9M renovation; 34,606 SF of holding space) and $1.5M for caging and other new equipment; 3) the BSL3, to be refurbished in early 2024; 4) the zebrafish module; and 5) the genotyping core. This on-site, centralized LAF is cost efficient and critical to the peer- reviewed, funded research programs at FCCC. The research animals and animal care staff are readily available to investigators and modifications in breeding, husbandry, or treatment protocols can be readily accomplished reducing any delay or misinterpretation. Due to frequent contact with animals required by research projects and the stress to animals created by transport, an on-site LAF is absolutely essential to support the cancer research mission of FCCC. All of the approved animal use protocols involve at least weekly, in some instances daily, observations, or data/tissue collection by the research staff. The LAF is advised by a dedicated Facility Advisory Committee (FAC) that meets at least annually or more often if needed. FAC recommendations are directed to the Facility Parent Oversight Committee (FPOC), which serves to ensure that the LAF continues to have the resources needed to provide the highest quality services. The FPOC advises Associate Director for Administration, John Gricoski and Chief Scientific Officer, David Wiest, who ensure appropriate allocation of resources. The following are user requests implemented through the FPOC: 1) elimination of C. bovis and establishment of a two tiered-health status system; 2) Patient derived xenograft generation and banking; 3) clean imaging space; 4) BSL3 level housing; 5) aged mouse core; 6) clean X-irradiation; and 7) genotyping service.