PROGRAM SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The University of Louisville (UofL) is an Institution of Emerging Excellence (IEE) and one of 23
states designated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as an Institutional Development
Award (IDeA) state, serving the research needs of medically underserved communities. As part
of the IDeA state program, UofL is the recipient of four NIH funded Centers of Biomedical
Research Excellence (COBRE) projects to target local and regional health crises in Kentucky
and Appalachia. These include centers in 1) Diabetes and Obesity, 2) Microbiome, 3)
Hepatobiology and Toxicology, and 4) Cancer. UofL is also the recipient of NIH funding for the
Alcohol Center and the Envirome Institute Superfund Research Center, which studies the
effects of cigarette smoke, e-cigarettes and other inhaled toxins on the cardiovascular system.
UofL is requesting $8,000,000 to renovate the ninth floor of the A-Tower Research Building to
provide a centralized modern vivarium, to house primarily rodent and aquatics species to
support a broad range of research efforts. The proposed renovation will replace and consolidate
rodent housing rooms on nine separate floors of the A-Tower and one room in the Dental
School, connected by a public pedway. The new facility will triple present animal housing space
and improve efficiency for investigators by providing animal housing and procedural space
within the new facility. It will also isolate animals from public areas and provide a barrier level of
biosecurity for rodent colonies. This innovative facility design maximizes flexibility for our
ongoing needs and projected growth. The design features multi-purpose rooms that can be
animal housing or procedural space, with minimal fixed equipment. The new facility also
includes specialized inhalation rooms and ABSL2 procedure space, which is not currently
available. The location of the A-Tower and its numerous enclosed connections to surrounding
research buildings make it an ideal location for a centralized vivarium and an academic
research hub. This new facility will provide essential support for the four NIH funded COBRE
grants, the Envirome Institute Superfund, and over 80 investigators in at least thirteen
departments with combined NIH and other funding of over $25 million. This project will support
long-term institutional research plans and provide long-term modern improvements to our
research infrastructure, serving as a base for a broad range of investigators and their research
efforts institution-wide on a shared basis, with a strong emphasis on clinical translational
research. In addition to having a local and regional impact, despite being an IEE, this project
also has national impact through the support of our numerous COBRE and Superfund grants.