Modernizing bottle processing within the mclaughlin research institute's animal resource center (ARC)

The Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Office of the Director awarded $190,745 to The Mclaughlin Research Institute For Biomedical Sciences, Inc. on September 1, 2026, under the Research Infrastructure Programs (CFDA 93.351).

The award funds the purchase and installation of a Tecniplast ESP processing system to modernize bottle processing within the institute's Animal Resource Center. The current manual capping of water bottles for mouse cages creates ergonomic strain on cage wash technicians' wrists and forearms; the automated system will reduce this occupational stress while increasing processing efficiency. The ARC facility, which occupies approximately 13,000 square feet, currently operates at or near capacity constraints due to bottleneck in the cage wash workflow; improving bottle processing flow will increase facility throughput to support expanded research operations.

The Mclaughlin Research Institute, located in Great Falls, Montana, is a nonprofit biomedical research organization that specializes in research models for neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease and prion disease. The institute recently established a collaborative partnership with Touro University's College of Osteopathic Medicine in Great Falls (launched in 2023) and received an NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence grant in 2024. Work is performed at the Great Falls, Montana location. The period of performance runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027.

Abstract

The overall goal of this application is to modernize bottle processing within the mclaughlin research institute's animal resource center (ARC) in order to provide a better working environment for dedicated ARC staff while also supporting institute growth and the expansion of translational research. This goal will be accomplished through the purchase and installation of a tecniplast ESP processing system to provide a state-of-the-art, labor-saving and more ergonomic system for capping water bottles than our current "by hand" process. The mclaughlin research institute is an internationally-recognized biomedical research institute that is located in great falls, MT. In 2023, with the launch of the new touro university campus in great falls, we established a collaborative partnership to provide research opportunities for physicians in training at the college of osteopathic medicine (COM). Subsequently in 2024, we were awarded an NIH center of biomedical research excellence (COBRE) grant, which supports on-going faculty recruitment. We take pride in providing state-of-the-art research facilities to our current and future investigators, including our touro COM-MT colleagues, neighboring institutions, and collaborators across the country. The ARC facility occupies ~13,000 SQ. FT. Facility capacity of our current caging inventory is 3375 individually ventilated cages (IVCS), while maximum capacity is 5200 IVCS. Cage wash is the bottleneck that limits the capacity of the ARC. Thus, focusing on improving flow here will benefit all research projects. Currently, our facility caps thousands of water bottles for mouse cages each week individually, by hand. The force needed to adequately seal the caps onto the water bottles results in stress to the wrist and forearm of the clean-side cage wash technician. This task requires such physical exertion that there are only 3 out of 6 employees who can execute this task when they are rotating through clean side cagewash, and only 1 employee can do IT quickly. Updating to an automated capping system will increase the throughput of clean-side cage wash, relieve physical stress on the technician(S) responsible for capping water bottles, and eliminate constraints on who is physically capable of the task. Successful completion of this project will: 1) modernize the research infrastructure at the mclaughlin research institute, 2) provide more ergonomic working conditions for ARC staff, 3) support research projects of current and future investigators within the institute and external collaborators and subcontractors, and 4) drive collaborative, integrative research at the institute and across the northern rocky mountain front region.