Abstract
Aims and scope of the special issue
Laboratory Animals journal invites contributions from all interested scientists and professionals for manuscripts related to challenges and opportunities in Facility Design and Management, specifically impacting an animal facility’s operation and sustainability, in its mission to provide high quality animal care. The manuscripts should broadly cover a variety of topics including facility design, management, staff care and support, equipment, hygiene and safety and innovative technologies encouraging operational sustainable methodologies while delivering optimal animal care and welfare. Broadly, topics are divided into two groups: Animal and People, and Vivarium Sustainability.
The role of personnel in animal care is paramount. Topics are sought for various areas including:
integration of automation and personnel; training/flexibility/lean management/hybrid working approach; compassion fatigue; disaster plan development (e.g. ethical aspects of decision impacting animal population); management of occupational health and safety.
Animal Health and Environmental Monitoring is a key performance indicator. The following topics (with a focus on costs and sustainability aspects) are selected:
new infectious agents/relevance and research impact; sustainable testing methodologies (conventional testing versus exhaust dust); strategies for diseases resolution (e.g. treatment, rederivation).
Last, the facility is the vessel where these activities occur, with several different species, including mice (primary terrestrial model), zebrafish (primary aquatic model) and large animals, amongst others. Here we wish to investigate a variety of topics broadly impacting the facility (both breeding and experimental areas, such as behavior and imaging suites, metabolic units, biosafety level 2–4 units) and equipment contained therein.
For the facility we seek to explore:
flexibility in terms of staffing and the species maintained; life cycle costs; modernization; sanitation centralization; sustainable activities or equipment found in micro-, macro- and mega-environment performing non-sanitation functions such as caging, bedding or animal handling; animal transport management.
Regarding equipment we seek authors on topics pertaining to the following, focusing especially on innovative approaches:
decarbonization/sustainability; sanitation (authors should include a section of equipment selection strategy for each of the topics below): cage wash; sterilization; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; environmental control; lighting/light contamination.
Please ensure to limit your outline to 500 words maximum when submitting your proposal.
Please send your proposals to