$3 Million NIH Grant Will Help Build New Animal Center

A $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will fund construction of a new primate center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

"This grant award is wonderful news," said Dr. George M. Stancel, UT-Houston’s interim executive vice president for research. "It supports our existing goals to maximize interdisciplinary, cooperative research enterprises, while also building on our biotechnology efforts and helping us attract new faculty and students."

The grant from NIH’s National Center for Research Resources is exclusively for design, construction and fixed equipment costs, and all funds must be used within five years.

Plans call for construction of a new, permanent center for the housing and care of research animals. The location of the new center will be part of the UT-Houston Medical School complex, located at 6431 Fannin St. Scientists from the complex will have convenient, protected access to the animal center through enclosed connections.

The proposed center will occupy roughly 12,000 square-feet devoted exclusively to animal care activities supervised by the fully accredited Center for Laboratory Animal Medicine and Care. It will contain about 6,000 gross-square-feet for housing and testing up to 180 research animals.

Three modular "suites" will combine holding and testing rooms and housing units with a central preparation area. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing maintenance will not require access to animal holding rooms.

"This design will provide a quieter, more undisturbed environment that should result in superior test data and optimal comfort for the animals," Dr. Stancel said.

The suite concept makes security, health and contamination risk top priorities for the center. Sound attenuation, better room temperature control, and wider corridors will enhance animal well being.

The grant application was evaluated based on the facility’s design standards, the strength of the university’s research, the quality of its scientists, and its record for scrupulous standards in animal care.

"Just getting this highly competitive grant is a great compliment to our faculty and staff," Dr. Stancel said.

UT-Houston researchers currently hold about $10 million of active NIH funding for studies with primates. These studies support research related to memory and learning analysis, treatments for autism, neurobiology and vision sciences.

A follow-up application seeks NIH funding for building a proposed second center in the same complex to house transgenic and immuno-compromised mice.

"Scientists in this research area were among the hardest hit by Tropical Storm Allison," Dr. Stancel said. "It will take special attention to get that research going full speed again, while building for the future."

Among the UT-Houston staff who helped make the successful grant application were: Dr. Bradford S. Goodwin, director of the Center for Laboratory Animal Medicine; Dr. Robert J. Emery, executive director of Environmental Health & Safety; Shelly Comer, Facilities Planning & Development; Catherine K. Moore, Office of Sponsored Projects; Mani M. Palani, Engineering; and Susan Fernandez, Research Affairs.

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