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FDA DEDICATES MOD II by Karen A. Kandra The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reached a major milestone on October 21, 1996, as the new home of FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), Office of Research was dedicated by FDA Commissioner, Dr. David Kessler, and other dignitaries who played important roles in bringing the project to fruition. In October 1994, a group of people gathered in Calverton, MD, and made a commitment to work together to produce a state-of-the-art research facility, destined to become one of the foremost large animal research centers in the world. Congressman Steny Hoyer, Senator Paul Sarbanes, and Senator Barbara Mikulski (all from Maryland) each provided strong support and were instrumental in getting the project off the ground. A team of qualified professionals was headed up by Jag Bhargava, Development Director for the General Services Administration (GSA), who cooperated with the contractor, William M. Schlosser Company, Inc., design architects of S3E, and Parsons Brinkerhoff, and officials from CVM and other parts of FDA to complete this challenging project six months ahead of schedule as well as under budget. The unprecedented success of this project is the result of a partnering effort involving hard work, dedication, and personal sacrifices of many individuals with the same goal. The new animal research center will serve the entire Agency's large animal needs and will provide the opportunity for collaborative efforts with the University of Maryland, the United States Department of Agriculture, and other scientific organizations to conduct critical research so vital to the protection of the Nation's food supply. The MOD II complex encompasses 60 acres on Muirkirk Road in Laurel, Maryland. There are 18 buildings on the site including the main building, which contains office and administrative support space, laboratories, and multipurpose animal rooms. There are 31 laboratory rooms which are designed for chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, immunology, nutrition, and toxicology. Laboratory rooms include a radioactive materials lab, mass spectrometry lab, walk-in cold room, and an analytical instrument room. Equipment includes 49 chemical fume hoods, 5 radiation fume hoods, and 4 biological safety cabinets. The facility includes small and large animal clinics, each with exam rooms; surgery rooms; recovery rooms; X-ray suites; and necropsy areas. The large animal clinic is equipped with a walk-in refrigerator and freezer and is served by an overhead monorail system. There are separate animal buildings to house beef cattle, horses, lactating cattle, calves, sheep, and swine. Animal holding areas contain fully adjustable pens to offer flexibility in research study design. The dairy building can accommodate 14 lactating cows in the milking parlor and 10 veal calves. There is also a dog building with individual pens and sheltered outside runs. The feed processing facility has the capability to prepare customized animal rations, and conduct feed processing research. The site also includes 38 acres of pasture. An aquaculture building provides approximately 5,700 net square feet of usable space to accommodate a variety of fresh water aquatic species. Water flow rates and temperature are adjustable to each of the twelve 500 gallon insulated tanks, and twenty-four 100 gallon tanks available. One room is equipped to conduct metabolism studies and can incorporate radiolabeled compounds. The animal research buildings are all environmentally controlled (temperature and humidity). All animal research buildings contain an animal holding area, an office/lab room, and a feed storage area. Research buildings are supported by the heating and cooling plant, which is also equipped with generators to provide emergency power. The Office of Research at MOD II will carry out the following important functions:
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