Comparative Medicine

Core Facilities

The Comparative Medicine (CMB) provides a broad range of services and collaborative support for the NIEHS intramural research programs. The Branch is responsible for management of the NIEHS Animal Care and Use Program, which includes the following services:

• facility management
• animal procurement
• animal health surveillance and disease diagnosis
• clinical veterinary services
• rodent breeding
• technical and surgical assistance
• embryo transfer
• rederivation and cryopreservation
• animal imaging
• quality assurance of food, bedding and water

CMB also provides professional advice to the Institute on important animal issues and supports the scientific staff by providing training for investigators and technicians, quality assurance support for research projects, consultation with investigators planning animal research projects, and administrative and professional staffing for the Institute Animal Care and Use Committee. Independent and collaborative research studies relative to the major missions of the Branch are also conducted.

CMB supports over 200 active animal research projects for scientists in the Division of Intramural Research, including the Environmental Biology Program, the Environmental Diseases and Medicine Program and the Environmental Toxicology Program. A daily inventory of over 25,000 rodents, frogs and fish is maintained. The Branch ensures that all animal use is performed humanely and in accordance with all Public Health Service policies and federal regulations. The NIEHS Animal Care and Use Program has maintained full accreditation by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International since 1972. The NIEHS facilities and animal care programs are unique in their capability to support virtually any type of environmental health research requiring the use of animals.

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