Robert A. Whitney Named Director of NCRR
Robert A. Whitney, Jr., has been appointed director of the newly formed National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health (NIH; see below). Dr. Whitney served as director of the NIH Division of Research Services since 1985 and as acting director of the Division of Research Resources since October 1988. He is also director of the NIH Office of Animal Care and Use, which is responsible for ensuring that NIH intramural animal care and use activities are conducted in accordance with all relevant laws and regulations. In addition, he chairs the Interagency Research Animal Committee, whose members represent all the federal agencies involved with use of animals in research, education, or testing.
Robert A. Whitney, jr.
After receiving his D.V.M. from Oklahoma State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1959, Dr. Whitney entered the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps. He directed the Veterinary Corps’ postdoctoral training program in laboratory animal medicine and served as a consultant to the Army Surgeon General on that specialty. He commanded a medical detachment in South Vietnam during 1970–1971.
Dr. Whitney transferred to the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps in 1971 and now holds the rank of Assistant Surgeon General. He served initially as a special projects officer in the Animal Resources Program, Division of Research Resources, NIH, and then served as chief of the Veterinary Resources Branch from 1972 to 1984. Dr. Whitney formerly served on the ILAR Council and Executive Committee.
NIH Creates National Center for Research Resources
In March 1990, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the creation of the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR). The new center was formed by merging two NIH components: the former Division of Research Resources, which supported research by NIH grantee institutions, and the Division of Research Services, which assisted NIH intramural research laboratories. NCRR will provide a wide variety of research resources for biomedical scientists in universities and other institutions nationwide and at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.
Among the resources supported by the NCRR are 78 general clinical research centers to provide assistance to clinical research studies in university medical centers; seven regional primate research centers that provide many critical resources, such as animal models used to study AIDS, hypertension, colon cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and many other disorders; 17 distinguished scientific research programs at predominantly minority universities funded by NCRR’s Research Centers in Minority Institutions program; and 63 biomedical research technology centers that have used NCRR support to develop innovative research tools, such as highly sophisticated instrument systems and computer models. NCRR grants also support many other projects, such as shared ownership of expensive research instrumentation and colonies of especially valuable laboratory animals.
Grants and contracts administered by NCRR’s Animal Resources Program (ARP) support numerous research animal facilities and resources including the regional primate research centers. ARP also supports research into laboratory animal disease, model development, institutional improvements, personnel training, and related activities.
The Veterinary Resources Program (VRP), one of NCRR’s components that supports intramural research, provides professional and technical support services involving the care and use of animals, including animal procurement and holding, diagnosis and disease control, surgical support, and consultation. Staff also conduct research on diseases of laboratory animals. VRP’s Animal Genetic Resource provides breeding pairs of especially valuable rodents and rabbits to research institutions worldwide.
NIH Acting Director William F. Raub has noted that a major focus of NCRR will be to provide resources for AIDS-related research. Much of its $40 million AIDS budget will go to institutions through its general clinical research center and regional primate research center programs.
For more information about the NCRR, contact Robert A. Whitney, Jr., Director, NCRR, NIH, Building 12A, Room 4007, Bethesda, MD 20892 (301/496-5793).
Colonies of C3HfB/Bi and DBA/2Bi Mice Available
Dr. Toni N. Mariani, formerly of the University of Minnesota, is disbanding her colonies of C3HfB/Bi and DBA/2Bi mice. These animals, which are maintained in filtertop cages, are the direct descendants of the mice brought to the university by Dr. J. J. Bittner in the 1940s. Anyone interested in acquiring these mice should contact Dr. Mariani at 1924 East River Terrace, Minneapolis, MN 55414 (Phone: 612/339-4036).
Colgate-Palmolive Postdoctoral Award
The Colgate-Palmolive Company will sponsor a postdoctoral fellowship in in vitro toxicology to be administered by the Society of Toxicology. The $67,000 award includes an annual stipend of $22,000 and additional funds for supplies, equipment, or research-related travel. The application deadline is November 1, 1990. Application materials can be obtained from the Education Committee, SOT, 1101 14th Street, NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005.
AFIP Directory on Pathology Training Programs Available
The Registry of Comparative Pathology announces the availability of a directory entitled, “Training Programs in Pathology and Clinical Pathology in North American Colleges and Schools of Veterinary Medicine.” This brochure is available, at no charge, from the Registry of Comparative Pathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC 20306-6000.
Biotechnology Primer Available
The Center for Animals and Public Policy, Tufts University, has prepared a “Biotechnology Primer.” The primer, which is available free of charge, contains summaries of the 1988-1989 biotechnology seminars held at Tufts and serves as a quick reference for identifying and outlining some of the emerging issues in biotechnology. To obtain a copy, contact Andrew Rowan, Director, Center for Animals and Public Policy, Tufts University, School of Veterinary Medicine, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536 (508/839-5302 ext. 4750).
Text of Hume Memorial Lecture Available from UFAW
The text of the eighth Hume Memorial Lecture is now available from the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW). Entitled “Nature’s Role in Animal Welfare,” the lecture was presented on November 29, 1989 by Walter E. Howard. Dr. Howard is professor emeritus in wildlife biology and vertebrate ecology, University of California, Davis.
The ninth Hume Memorial Lecture will be given on November 29, 1990 by Philip O’Donoghue, president of the Laboratory Animal Science Association and former general secretary of the Institute of Biology. The subject will be animals in education, and the lecture will be presented at the Royal Society of Medicine, London.
To obtain a copy of the 1989 lecture or for more information on the 1990 lecture, contact UFAW, 8 Hamilton Close, South Mimms, Potters Bar, Herts, EN6 3QD (telephone 0707 58202; Fax 0707 49279).
Bibliography Available on Alternatives to Use of Live Vertebrates in Research
The summer of 1990 bibliography on “Alternatives to the Use of Live Vertebrates in Biomedical Research and Testing” is now available. Compiled from the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) databases, it includes citations added to the database during the months of January, February, and March 1990, followed by brief annotations.
The goals of the NLM’s bibliographic search is to alert researchers to references on in vitro methodology and other alternatives to the use of live vertebrates, including methods using invertebrates, lower vertebrates, microorganisms, cell and tissue culture systems, and mathematical approaches. For situations where intact vertebrates must be used, citations are also provided on methods that reduce the number of animals required in a procedure or that refine a procedure so that it produces less pain and distress.
The summer 1990 bibliography was compliled by NLM-supported staff at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. To receive a complimentary copy and to be placed on the mailing list for future quarterly bibliographies, contact Dr. Po-Yung Lu, Toxicology Information Response Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, MS6050, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6050 (615/574-7587).
