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Report of the NIH Rat Model Repository
Workshop
Appendix
Bases for
Calculations
To estimate cost, the participants developed a series
of assumptions. These are not designed to set numbers, but rather to illustrate
what the NIH and the scientific community will receive for a given investment.
We fully anticipate and expect the applicants to develop their own cost
estimates and justifications for how the Center will manage the distribution of
strains only cryopreserved versus live colonies. After funding, the Center
Director and Advisory Board will continue to explore and modify means of
maximizing the number of strains maintained.
| OVERALL COSTS |
| First year |
$11–$12
million (total costs) |
| For 5 years |
$35 million (total
costs) |
| START-UP COSTS |
$5 million
one-time cost |
- Equipment
- Cryopreservation
- Microbiological
- Genetic monitoring
- General (freezers, auto baths, pipettes,
etc.)
- Computers for laboratory
- Informatics (hardware and software)
- Cages, racks, etc.
- Cage washers, steam sterilizer
- Isolators (laminar flow units)
- Miscellaneous (surgical equipment, etc.)
- Security systems (environmental controls;
computer regulation/monitoring)
- Renovations
|
| DIRECT COST PER YEAR |
$4
million |
$35
million minus $5 million equipment and renovations = $30 million
$30
million minus $10 million (50% indirect costs) = $20 million
$20 million/5
years = $4 million per year |
LIVE ANIMAL COSTS
For this section, per diem costs were set at $1.50
per day per rat. It is difficult to estimate per diem rates, since the services
provided or not provided by this fee vary from institution to institution, and
there will need to be a balance between the per diem costs and personnel costs.
Here we assume all genetic and microbiological costs and some personnel costs
are within the per diem rate. We have not built in a budget that illustrates
the
| Maintaining breeders per year |
$936,950 |
| At steady
state, the minimum number of strains are: |
44 strains maintained
as live colonies
10 kept only as breeding nuclei x $5,475/strain/yr
32
small expansion colony x $21,900/strain/yr
2 large expansion colony x
$65,700/strain/yr
Rederiving 10 strains per year x $5,000/strain |
$54,750
$700,800
$131,400
$50,000 |
Assumptions for cost estimates:
The 10 strains maintained as breeding nuclei were
assumed to be new strains, for which the need had not been established. For
this process, we assumed 10 new strains would be added each year and 10 retired
to be cryopreserved or transferred to a commercial breeder. We are projecting a
cost of $5,000 to rederive a strain. Therefore, 10 strains per year x $5,000 =
$50,000 per year
Breeding colony (5
breeder pairs)
Small expansion colony (20 breeder pairs)
Large
expansion colony (60 breeder pairs) |
$5,475/strain/yr
$21,900/strain/yr
$65,700/strain/yr |
| Cost
associated with maintaining animals for distribution |
$1.1
million |
Rats to be sold/distributed incur a per diem charge
from weaning until they are sold, distributed, or euthanized. For this
estimate, we assumed that the number of animals sacrificed represents the
average number of animals per day maintained by the Center's budget, since
there is no cost recovery for these animals during the first 5 years. After the
first 5 years, the participants anticipate that this category should probably
be reduced. However, not producing enough animals to save costs initially will
be counterproductive. For this estimate, it was assumed that the daily average
number of animals incurring a per diem charge would be 2,052 rats based on 90
percent of the produced animals being distributed. We recognize this is a high
figure, but we also estimate that the Director and Advisory Board will not
maintain a uniform number of animals for distribution. 2,052 rats x 365 days x
$1.50 per rat = $1.1 million.
Table 1.
Estimated number of animals generated for
distribution for each type of
colony |
|
| |
Rats Generated Annually |
Number of Rats Distributed |
Interim Sacrifices |
|
| Breeder expansion (small) |
540 |
486 |
54 |
| Expansion (large) |
1,620 |
1,458 |
162 |
|
Table 2.
Estimated number of rats generated for
distribution for each type of
colony |
|
| |
Rats Generated Annually |
Number of Rats Distributed |
Interim Sacrifices |
|
| For 32 strains with small expansion |
17,280 |
15,552 |
1,728 |
| For 2 strains with large expansion |
3,240 |
2,916 |
324 |
| Totals |
20,520 |
18,468 |
2,052 |
|
| PERSONNEL COSTS (APPROXIMATELY 25% OF DIRECT
COSTS) |
$1
million |
The staff of the facility should consist of a
Director with expertise in genetics, several scientific research staff for
research and development, informatics personnel, administrative personnel, a
facilities manager and facilities maintenance personnel, cryopreservation
personnel, animal care technicians, and quality control technicians.
| CRYOPRESERVATION COSTS PER
YEAR |
$450,000 |
$9,000/strain to freeze and recover x 50 strains
per year
| SUPPLY/MISCELLANEOUS COSTS |
$500,000 |
Miscellaneous laboratory supplies
Informatics support (hardware and software)
Resources for developing better technologies for
cryopreservation, etc.
Office supplies
Miscellaneous laboratory supplies
Informatics support (hardware and software)
Resources for developing better technologies for
cryopreservation, etc.
Office supplies
Telephone charges
Travel for Advisory Board members
Travel for investigators
Training course and meeting costs
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