This page describes the organization of the Utah State University Laboratory Animal Research Center (LARC) and the policies and procedures which govern its operation. As stated in the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources (ILAR) manual Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals "Proper management of laboratory animals is essential to the welfare of the animals, to the validity of research data, and to the health and safety of the animal-care staff."

The utilization of animals in teaching and research has long been recognized as a valuable asset for providing and demonstrating informative scientific data in the biological and medical fields. Included in this recognition is the responsibility for providing humane care and treatment of these animals. This responsibility is both an ethical and scientific necessity and each person involved in using animals shares in this responsibility. Animals used in teaching and research is a privilege which should not be abused.

The LARC was constructed in 1970 utilizing guidelines from the ILAR Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The two-story facility has approximately 13,244 square feet of floor space (excluding corridors). It includes nine conventional animal rooms, one treatment room, one feed and bedding storage room, one quarantine room, two cage storage rooms, one general storage room/hallway, one surgical suite, one radiation storage room, one behavioral suit, one biohazard suite (BSL-2 containment) consisting of four animal rooms and one laboratory, one biohazard suite (BSL-3 containment) consisting of four animal rooms and four laboratories, one cage washing area, one laundry room, one classroom/break room, one office suite, one receiving area, two restrooms, and one mechanical rooms. The facility has a separate ventilation system which utilizes 100% outside air. Temperature and humidity are monitored daily to help maintain the desired environmental controls for the various species of animals housed in the center.

The facility was inspected in 1985 by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC). Full accreditation was granted in February, 1986 and has continued since.

The main objective of the facility is to provide animal care above the minimum standards that have been established for laboratory animals. Animal care within the center is in accordance with the "Animal Welfare Act", PHS "Policy on Humane Care and Use of Animals", ILAR "Guide", and, where applicable, the FDA "Good Laboratory Practices". This objective is three-fold, one to ensure that no research work is jeopardized through inadequate animal husbandry practices, two to ensure non-research personnel that the animals used in research are treated and cared for in a humane manner and three to ensure that federal funding for research involving animals is not jeopardized through inadequate or inhumane care or treatment of research animals.

The LARC is committed to the highest standards of research and recognizes that laboratory animals must receive the best possible care, not only to obtain valid research data, but to ensure the health and safety of animals, researchers, and animal caretakers. The facility offers a complete range of services to researchers at Utah State University, including comprehensive animal care and husbandry, instruction in proper animal handling, disease diagnosis, euthanasia and animal disposal, animal records, information, and consultation.

For additional information please contact:
LARC Office Phone: (435)797-1886
Fax: (435)797-3834
E-Mail address LARC@CC.USU.EDU