Laboratory Animal Resources Service (LARS)
About
The mission of the Laboratory Animal Resources Service (LARS) is to facilitate the ethical animal research needs of the Madigan research community. LARS is fully accredited program (since 1970) by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALACi). It has American Association of Lab Animal Science (AALAS) certified veterinary and animal care staff and is managed by a board certified veterinarian. The LARS provides veterinary expertise, animal care, personnel training, study support, and resources necessary for the maintenance and preservation of a quality animal research program and environment.
Facilities
The animal housing and support space occupies 15,000 ft2, having the capability of housing rodents, rabbits, pigs, goats, and sheep. Most housing is conventional, although a barn and paddock area is available for long-term, large animal studies.
Personnel
LARS is staffed with a veterinarian, facility manager, veterinary technicians, and husbandry specialist. The staff provides daily animal care, technical support, and personnel training to support all research studies.
Capabilities
LARS has three dedicated surgical suites, one of which has the capability to run up to four tables simultaneously. Other equipment and services available to investigators include inhalation anesthesia units, ventilators, advanced physiologic monitoring equipment, a microsurgical microscope, a laser flowmeter, endoscopes, laparoscopes, an ultrasound machine, and a fluoroscope.
Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee
The Madigan Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) has oversight responsibility for Madigan. It is dedicated to the humane care and use of animals in research. The IACUC ensures that animal research conducted under federal regulations is ethical, scientifically justified, performed in accordance with the approved study and compliant with the "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals", all federal and institutional regulations, and the institution's assurance and accreditation.
Madigan's animal care and use program is supported by a fully constituted IACUC that is made up of local scientists, veterinarians, physicians, and community members that are responsible for the review and approval of all animal research conducted at Madigan. IACUC approval of a research study must be obtained before initiating any research, testing, or instructional project involving the use of live vertebrate animals. The IACUC Administrator facilitates investigator assistance with proposal development. Experts aide in choosing the appropriate animal model, study design, data collection methods, and statistics.