GB1595174A - Mobile animal modules and experimental animal complexes - Google Patents

Description

(54) MOBILE ANIMAL MODULES AND EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL COMPLEXES (71) We, INVERESK RESEARCH INTER NATIONAL, a British company of Inveresk Gate, Musselburgh, Scotland, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to mobile animal modules and experimental animal complexes.

In recent years, considerable thought has been given to the design of accommodation in which animals may be housed in large homogeneous groups for experiments, for example in toxicology experiments. Known animal houses consist of a series of rooms to which access is through a series of barriers often including showers and designated "the clean side" and from which egress is through a separate series of corridors labelled "the dirty side". The rooms commonly accommodate several groups of animals. Central air conditioning is provided for the whole unit and the extracted air is often treated to remove dangerous chemicals or pathogens.

There are a number of problems inherent in such designs.

It is necessary right at the beginning of the design process to determine the total size of the unit eventually to be built and there is thus the risk that, on completion of the building, some two years after the beginning of the design process, it will be either too large or too small for the needs at that time.

The design, once settled, is inflexible and changes in group sizes for experiments cannot readily be accommodated.

A breakdown of bacteriological cleanliness in one part of the unit may rapidly spread to the rest of the unit.

A breakdown in the central air conditioning has serious consequence for the whole unit.

Handling of particularly toxic substances may contaminate an experimental room requiring elaborate decontamination procedures that may not always be effective.

The capital cost is high and, where contingent planning for the future has been incorporated, the cost of accommodation for future use must be paid at the same time as the erection of the whole unit even though the need may not arise for a long period.

The high cost of the structure means that the costs of toxicology experiments, already high, are increased by the need to amortise the total capital.

These disadvantages, and particularly the fiscal disadvantages that obviously present more difficulties for a relatively small organisation than for a large one, have caused us to reevaluate the whole concept of animal house design.

We have carried out functional analysis of the operation of an experimental animal facility which has led us to the following conclusions: 1. Modern toxicology favours the principle of one experiment being contained in one room with no other experiment housed with it.

2. Single rooms should ideally be as separate as is feasible from all other experimental rooms and they should have separate air conditioning.

3. Ideally, animals received from experiments from external sources should be quarantined before admission to a facility in which long-standing experimental animals are also housed.

4. Personnel should have access through exclusively clean corridors, and dirty operations should be physically completely separated from clean operations.

5. In the event of bacteriological breakdown, the room in which the breakdown has occurred should be capable of isolation from clean and uncontaminated rooms.

6. In the event of chemical contamination of a room, some unequivocal method of decontamination is required.

Fiscal analysis leads to the following conclusions: 1. Personnel facilities are expensive and cannot therefore be modular.

2. Incineration and sterilising facilities are expensive and cannot be modular.

3. The total size of an animal unit built as one block is largely determined by the number of animal rooms provided and this number directly determines the cost. Since all may not be required immediately on completion of the unit, it is financially desirable only to provide animal rooms as they are needed.

We have sought to overcome the disadvantages of the known animal housing units and to achieve the above discussed desiderata.

In contrast to the prior art, we have developed a modular design for our experimental animal complex, and have developed a mobile animal module as part of the complex.

Accordingly, in one aspect of our invention, we provide a mobile animal module which comprises a housing, means on said housing allowing the module to be movable from one station of an experimental animal complex to another, a first air seal means provided in a wall of the module, adapted to cooperate with a mating seal means of a permanent service unit at one or more locations of the complex to allow the module to be sealingly attached to the unit by the resulting air seal, and a second air seal means in the wall of the module, at a location remote from the first, adapted to cooperate with a mating seal means of an animal transport container to allow the latter to be sealingly attached to the module by the resulting air seal. The construction of the seals allows the seal means and the air space in the vicinity thereof to be subjected to sterilisation when needed.

Preferably, the invention provides a mobile animal module which comprises a housing mounted on a chassis and provided with an axle and wheels and having retractable feet.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, each air seal means comprises a flat surface adapted sealably to abut against the corresponding surface of a seal means of a permanent service unit, or an animal transport box, to form an air seal, fastening means being provided to tighten the seal, and each of the mating seal means being provided with a swing door which is withdrawable to allow the air space in the vicinity of the seal means and the seal means to be sterilised.

In another aspect of our invention, we provide an experimental animal complex comprising a permanent experimental service unit provided with one or more air seal means, a permanent clean service unit provided with one or more air seal means, and a permanent dirty service unit provided with one or more air seal means, one or more of the mobile animal modules and one or more animal transport containers, the or each animal transport container being provided with an air seal means adapted to cooperate with a mating seal means of the, or each, module or of a permanent service unit.

Consideration of the points listed above has led to the design of an animal complex consisting of four functionally and physically separate portions.

1. A personal facility with a spine to which mobile animal modules may be attached for months or years but in a temporary manner.

2. Mobile animal modules (MAMS) themselves. They are wholly mobile by being towed by some appropriate vehicle.

3. A clean service area which incorporates animal reception and quarantine.

4. A dirty service area which incorporates incinerators and cage cleaner.

Access from 4 to 3 is by autoclaves for cages, food and bedding.

The invention is further illustrated by the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a block diagrammatic layout of a conventional animal clean room.

Figure 2A is a block diagrammatic layout of an experimental animal complex in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2B is a section of a detail of Figure 2A shown on an enlarged scale.

The so-called "dirty areas" are shown crosshatched.

The layout and main functions of the conventional arrangement are shown in Figure 1.

One embodiment of an experimental animal complex according to the invention is now described with reference to Figures 2A and 2B.

The general layout is shown in Figure 2A.

A personnel unit (1) is conventional in that there is an area in which street clothing is discarded. There is access to showers (2) where outside clothing is left and light sterile unit clothes are donned. On the clean side, there are a few necessary facilities, e.g. offices (3) and tea rooms (4). From the personnel area, a spine (5) extends into vacant ground. On the spine, there are a series of air seals (6) which are, in principle, similar to the air locks familiar from docking spacecraft although very much simpler.

The design of the air seals and their sterilisation are discussed below, with reference to Figure 2B.

An umbilical cord adjacent to each air seal 6 supplies the MAM (7) with electric power, cold water and telephone connections. Each MAM is served by its own individual air conditioner (8). It will be seen that the spine is, in principle, indefinitely extensible and also that, should the personnel requirements out-grow the capacity of the original personnel entrance facility, a further facility can be connected to the spine at any convenient point. The MAM lighting can be programmed individually.

Each MAM contains sufficient caging on racks for a single rodent experiment that may be of any size up to 560 rats. A larger experiment than this can be accommodated by the production of double sized units. Within each MAM there is an area for the technician to put on a colour coded gown and mask and a laboratory area for necessary manipulation of animals and note taking. At a point remote from the clean access, there is an additional air seal (6) permitting the attachment of a sterile transport box (9) (STB) to the MAM. The whole MAM is fully mobile on a chassis with axle and wheels. It is supported on retractable feet while connected to the personnel unit or service unit.

The sterile transport box (STB) is sufficiently large to contain a complete change of cages, a week's supply of food or a supply of water bottles, and it is attached to the MAM by a sterile air seal similar to that which connects the MAM to the personnel spine. The STB can be transported to and from service units by a fork-lift truck. The MAMs have to be attached to the spine and also to the service units by an air seal 6 and the STB is also attached by a similar air seal 6.

The air seal (6), shown enlarged and in greater detail in Figure 2B, comprises, for example, an air seal established between an air seal means of an MAM and a mating air seal means of an STB. The two air seal means have corresponding plane surfaces 17 which are butted on to one another in sealing engagement, and are tightened down with screws or clips (not shown). Swing doors 18 on each element of the seal are permitted to move aside so that the space in the vicinity of the two seal means and the seal means themselves can be irradiated by W bactericidal light, and thereby sterilised.

Similar air seal means are provided at both clean and dirty service units to allow for attachment thereto of the MAMs and the STBs. On completion of an experiment, the MAM is transported physically from its connection to the spine and attached, still containing all its animals, to the dirty service unit 14-16. The animals are first taken through the post-mortem room 15 and, when the autopsies are complete, all caging is removed from the MAM. The MAM itself is then moved to a general purpose area where it is completely refurbished (13). In the event that serious chemical or microbiological contamination of the MAM may have occurred the MAM can be completely destroyed by fire or other appropriate means at this point. Otherwise, after refurbishing and sterilisation by appropriate methods it is ready for re-deployment. Caging is cleaned and washed (14) and autoclaved (16), and then reaches the clean area (11). All other material is incinerated.

Clean and fully equipped MAMs are attached to the clean service area by an air seal (6).

Animals are received from the supplier in a clean reception area (10) and are held in a clean MAM for a period during which 5%/10% of animals are killed and autopsied, bacteriology being performed on appropriate organs. After a short quaratine and satisfactory results from the autopsies and bacteriology examination, the clean MAM is then physically transported and reconnected to the spine of a personnel unit. During progress of the experiment, fresh supplies of cages, food supplies and bedding, duly sterilised in the clean service unit (11), are transported in STBs from the clean unit to the MAM, and used supplies and dirty cages are loaded into the STB to be unloaded at the dirty service unit, whilst the STB is itself steam cleaned at 12.

It can be seen that this unorthodox approach to animal house design immediately presents some major advantages. The animal house is of course, indefinitely extensible for very modest costs. Contaminated or damaged animal units which, in the conventional set-up, require an enormous amount of refurbishing from time to time, can in the MAM be readily refurbished without inconvenience to the rest of the unit and in the most extreme cases can be destroyed completely at little expense. There is immediately the possibility of containing bacteriological breakdown more completely than in the conventional design and, in serious cases of breakdown, the offending animal unit can be removed from the major clean area and serviced independently by separate staff in a dirty area. It is also obviously easy to accommodate changing group sizes and to make allowances for new techniques in the furnishing of animal rooms and in cage design. Inasmuch as air conditioning is individual to each MAM, it is obviously possible both to limit the consequences of a breakdown of an air conditioner and also, by having a small number of spare complete units, to insure against such breakdowns at very modest cost. Financially also, this design offers great advantages. It is possible to start with a small unit, say sufficient for six technicians and perhaps 10 MAMs, and to add to it as required. Further MAMs may, e.g., be ordered when a toxicity test is decided upon.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A mobile animal module which comprises a housing, means on said housing allowing the module to be movable from one station of an experimental animal complex to another, a first air seal means provided in a wall of the module adapted to cooperate with a mating seal means of a permanent service unit at one or more locations of the complex to allow the module to be sealingly attached to the unit by the resulting air seal, and a second air seal means in the wall of the module, at a location remote from the first, adapted to cooperate with a mating seal means of an animal transport container to allow the latter to be sealingly attached to the module by the resulting air seal.

2. A mobile animal module as claimed in Claim 1, which comprises a housing mounted on a chassis and provided with an axle and wheels and having retractable feet.

3. A mobile animal module as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which each air seal means of the module has a plane surface adapted to form a butt seal with the corresponding plane surface on the seal means of the permanent service unit or of the animal transport container fastening means being provided for tightening

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (8)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. box (9) (STB) to the MAM. The whole MAM is fully mobile on a chassis with axle and wheels. It is supported on retractable feet while connected to the personnel unit or service unit. The sterile transport box (STB) is sufficiently large to contain a complete change of cages, a week's supply of food or a supply of water bottles, and it is attached to the MAM by a sterile air seal similar to that which connects the MAM to the personnel spine. The STB can be transported to and from service units by a fork-lift truck. The MAMs have to be attached to the spine and also to the service units by an air seal 6 and the STB is also attached by a similar air seal 6. The air seal (6), shown enlarged and in greater detail in Figure 2B, comprises, for example, an air seal established between an air seal means of an MAM and a mating air seal means of an STB. The two air seal means have corresponding plane surfaces 17 which are butted on to one another in sealing engagement, and are tightened down with screws or clips (not shown). Swing doors 18 on each element of the seal are permitted to move aside so that the space in the vicinity of the two seal means and the seal means themselves can be irradiated by W bactericidal light, and thereby sterilised. Similar air seal means are provided at both clean and dirty service units to allow for attachment thereto of the MAMs and the STBs. On completion of an experiment, the MAM is transported physically from its connection to the spine and attached, still containing all its animals, to the dirty service unit 14-16. The animals are first taken through the post-mortem room 15 and, when the autopsies are complete, all caging is removed from the MAM. The MAM itself is then moved to a general purpose area where it is completely refurbished (13). In the event that serious chemical or microbiological contamination of the MAM may have occurred the MAM can be completely destroyed by fire or other appropriate means at this point. Otherwise, after refurbishing and sterilisation by appropriate methods it is ready for re-deployment. Caging is cleaned and washed (14) and autoclaved (16), and then reaches the clean area (11). All other material is incinerated. Clean and fully equipped MAMs are attached to the clean service area by an air seal (6). Animals are received from the supplier in a clean reception area (10) and are held in a clean MAM for a period during which 5%/10% of animals are killed and autopsied, bacteriology being performed on appropriate organs. After a short quaratine and satisfactory results from the autopsies and bacteriology examination, the clean MAM is then physically transported and reconnected to the spine of a personnel unit. During progress of the experiment, fresh supplies of cages, food supplies and bedding, duly sterilised in the clean service unit (11), are transported in STBs from the clean unit to the MAM, and used supplies and dirty cages are loaded into the STB to be unloaded at the dirty service unit, whilst the STB is itself steam cleaned at 12. It can be seen that this unorthodox approach to animal house design immediately presents some major advantages. The animal house is of course, indefinitely extensible for very modest costs. Contaminated or damaged animal units which, in the conventional set-up, require an enormous amount of refurbishing from time to time, can in the MAM be readily refurbished without inconvenience to the rest of the unit and in the most extreme cases can be destroyed completely at little expense. There is immediately the possibility of containing bacteriological breakdown more completely than in the conventional design and, in serious cases of breakdown, the offending animal unit can be removed from the major clean area and serviced independently by separate staff in a dirty area. It is also obviously easy to accommodate changing group sizes and to make allowances for new techniques in the furnishing of animal rooms and in cage design. Inasmuch as air conditioning is individual to each MAM, it is obviously possible both to limit the consequences of a breakdown of an air conditioner and also, by having a small number of spare complete units, to insure against such breakdowns at very modest cost. Financially also, this design offers great advantages. It is possible to start with a small unit, say sufficient for six technicians and perhaps 10 MAMs, and to add to it as required. Further MAMs may, e.g., be ordered when a toxicity test is decided upon. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A mobile animal module which comprises a housing, means on said housing allowing the module to be movable from one station of an experimental animal complex to another, a first air seal means provided in a wall of the module adapted to cooperate with a mating seal means of a permanent service unit at one or more locations of the complex to allow the module to be sealingly attached to the unit by the resulting air seal, and a second air seal means in the wall of the module, at a location remote from the first, adapted to cooperate with a mating seal means of an animal transport container to allow the latter to be sealingly attached to the module by the resulting air seal.

2. A mobile animal module as claimed in Claim 1, which comprises a housing mounted on a chassis and provided with an axle and wheels and having retractable feet.

3. A mobile animal module as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which each air seal means of the module has a plane surface adapted to form a butt seal with the corresponding plane surface on the seal means of the permanent service unit or of the animal transport container fastening means being provided for tightening

the resulting seals, and a hinge door being provided on each seal means which is withdrawable to allow sterilisation.

4. A mobile animal module as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3, which is additionally provided with means to receive electric power, water and telephone connections.

5. A mobile animal module as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 4, which is additionally provided with an air-conditioning unit.

6. A mobile animal module as claimed in Claim 1 substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. An experimental animal complex comprising a permanent experimental service unit provided with one or more air seal means, a permanent clean service unit provided with one or more air seal means, and a permanent dirty service unit provided with one or more air seal means, one or more mobile animal modules as defined in any of Claims 1 to 6, and one or more animal transport containers, the or each animal transport container being provided with an air seal means adapted to cooperate with a mating seal means of the, or each, module or of a permanent service unit.

8. An experimental animal complex as claimed in Claim 7 substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.