Share thisFor many years, the Department of Comparative Medicine (CCM) at the Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) has been a leader in exploring new systems and technologies to improve and enhance the operations of their vivarium facilities. BCM opened the 43,000 cage Transgenic Mouse Facility in 2001, one of the first, and the largest,with robotic cage processing equipment. This all-mouse facility was intended to operate at the highest barrier level necessary to maintain specific pathogen-free colonies in order to provide an environment conducive to the highest quality research. They were essentially BETA testing these newly applied technologies to the cage processing operations. The BETA testing of new technologies and operational protocols requires commitment and courage. New systems invariably require constant “tweaking,” adjustments, flexibility and include regular and irregular down-time. While Baylor has experienced all of these issues, they continue to explore and push the envelope for engaging new technologies and procedures in their on-going search for maintaining and improving animal health; the health and safety of their animal care staff and technicians; and to provide quality work environments for the researchers. This article will present and discuss the new Margaret M. Alkek Building for Biomedical Research (ABBR) and the new technologies, designs and protocols that have been implemented in this world-class facility. They include:
- A fifth generation, automated cage processing system with a clean and dirty robotics drive tunnel washer;
- A fully automated bottle processing system, one of the first in the United States, capable of processing nearly 1,200 bottles per hour with minimal human intervention;
- Three double-rack bulk autoclaves with vertical-lift doors;
- A fully automated bedding disposal and dispensing system that supports not only this new facility, but integrates their entire operation,nearly 68,000 cages;
- Large animal holding rooms supporting up to 1,680 cages per room in high-density, library style caging systems;
- Animal holding rooms that each include two dedicated procedure rooms to minimize transport issues and the spread of potential contaminants. These procedure rooms were located around the perimeter of the facility allowing natural light to penetrate into them, greatly improving the quality of the work environment.
This article will explore in detail each of these innovations,why they were incorporated into the plans for the facility, the design and operational challenges of each solution and their expected outcomes. These will demonstrate Baylor’s ongoing commitment to innovation and to the betterment of animal research.