Expansion and modification of animal housing and support spaces to increase production of the NIH U42 supported pigtailed macaque colony at Johns Hopkins University - Project Summary In the face of well-documented ongoing shortages of nonhuman primates for biomedical research and evidence that they may be a unique model for COVID-19, it is no surprise that the demand for pigtail macaques remains strong and continues to climb. Since the onset of NIH- support in 2006, the JHU pigtail macaque colony has provided 313 animals for biomedical research, the vast majority of which was HIV/AIDS related. With 172 of those animals (55%) going to NIH funded investigators at institutions outside of JHU, we have established our colony as an important national resource of this valuable animal model. To meet the growing need for pigtail macaques in biomedical research, we have developed a plan to significantly increase the number of animals that we can house at the JHU Research Farm and further refine our behavioral management of this breeding colony to improve productivity. First, we propose to construct an addition to the existing Building 12, significantly expanding animal housing and support spaces. This new construction will include animal housing space and innovative caging for 120 additional animals across 6 harems. This addition will also house dedicated support spaces, including an operating room, radiology room, flex holding space for convalescing or pre- sale animals, and a cage washing area, along with personnel spaces such as a staff locker room with connected showers, bathroom, laundry, and PPE donning/doffing area. Second, we propose to install underground fiber optic cable and other network infrastructure to connect the JHU Research Farm facilities to high-speed internet. This project will allow us to fully leverage the soon-to-be-installed JHU-funded upgrades to 1) security and 2) electronic animal health and behavior records. If this proposal is successful, we will better serve the NIH-funded research community that relies on primate models in two key ways: 1) we will increase the number of animals available to researchers and 2) we will evaluate the novel husbandry and behavioral management features designed into the new building and share our findings with NIH-funded nonhuman primate researchers and other national breeding centers.
