Using advanced technology to improve animal welfare, research outcomes, and facility operations by detecting extrinsic factors in a shared animal facility - PROJECT SUMMARY Extrinsic factors are sources of variability that affect pre-clinical research study reproducibility and outcomes. These factors are environmental variables from experimental and housing conditions. One way to optimize research outcomes, enhance methodological reproducibility, and improve scientific rigor of biomedical research is to monitor and better regulate the impact of housing and husbandry conditions within animal facilities. The long-term goal of this project is to support and produce more rigorous pre-clinical animal research in a shared animal facility housing a number of different species. The objective in this particular application is to detect, monitor, and track extrinsic factors in individual animal rooms by purchasing and using the advanced technology equipment called The Sensory Sentinel. This state-of-the-art technology continuously tracks the extrinsic factors of temperature, humidity, light, noise, and vibration in the microenvironment (e.g., cage) or macroenvironment (e.g., room), and it logs human activity. The expected outcomes of this project include improvement of research outcomes, animal welfare, and facility operations in an institutionally-supported animal facility for biomedical researchers across multiple colleges and departments. Under the first specific aim, extrinsic factors will be monitored 24/7 in animal rooms with a capacity that does not currently exist in this research core facility. Remote access to extrinsic factor data will be provided to the Animal Facility Manager, Attending Veterinarian, and Principal Investigator for timely responsiveness to deviations and alerts. This will enable the facility to maintain consistent and ideal conditions for research animals, reducing stress and variations affecting research outcomes. Under the second aim, data-based decisions will be used to promote optimal animal health and welfare, such as decisions about housing and identification of disruptive sensory stimulation. Evaluation of records for extrinsic factors by the Institutional Care and Use Committee can confirm compliance with regulatory standards of animal welfare. Under the third specific aim, the equipment will be used to improve record keeping and to modernize training for facility users. Overall, better monitoring of extrinsic factors will lead to quickly correcting deviations and reducing environmental stressors for animal subjects, yielding refinement of procedures and reductions in animal use. Purchasing and using this advanced technology equipment will be significant, because in addition to improving the rigor of pre- clinical animal research studies conducted in the facility, the competitiveness of grant applications, the support for new faculty hires that conduct animal research, and the training environment for the next generation of biomedical researchers across the university will be substantially enhanced and at the forefront of technology and innovation due to resulting improvements.
