NCTR computer systems designed for toxicologic experimentation. I. Overview

Established in 1971 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Center for Toxicological Research is committed to the study of long-term, low-dose effects of potentially toxic substances, including carcinogens. The Scientific Information Systems Division (SISD) facility provides logistic support for complex experiments involving large numbers of test animals. Animal population at the Center, including the breeding colony and animals on experiment, can be as high as 80,000. Each animal must be accounted for, fed and watered under strict control, and continually observed. From birth to final examination, an individual animal might have as many as 3,000 individual elements of information associated with it. This paper introduces a series of reports dealing with an integrated and comprehensive system of experiment planning and implementation (including information gathering, classification, analyses and reporting), employing state-of-the-art data processing techniques. This extensive use of computer technology has permitted the collection, proper classification, and rapid retrieval of virtually error-free data, resulting in cost-sensitive experiment planning.