Advancements by College of Veterinary Medicine scientists in fighting infectious animal diseases are far more likely now that a new, $29.5 million research facility has opened. The building features the latest in biosecurity and safety systems to give researchers greater control over the many factors that can influence live animal studies while ensuring animal and human safety.
The building features a flexible design with rooms to accommodate animals of varying sizes. Each animal holding room is equipped with its own ventilation system and environmental controls. As a result, the building contains over 7.5 miles of piping and ductwork. It also required four coats of high performance paint on inside surfaces to ensure durability—enough to paint seven football fields. Workers remove the last bits of Veterinary Isolation Building A, which many alumni will remember. Behind it stands the new isolation facility.
In the planning stages for years, the new facility was funded by the 2015 Minnesota Legislature in the midst of the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza.