Lab Animal Medicine

We Care For Our Animals As If Human Lives Depend On It

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (UNTHSC) is committed to the judicious, Humane use of Animals in research and education. UNTHSC’s Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine (DLAM) provides professional and technical service for Laboratory Animal Care, Veterinary Medical services, and Animal Research Project support for faculty, students, and employees of UNTHSC.

The Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine Staff is trained in the care and use of laboratory animals and can be an important role in your research.  Our facility requires that all DLAM staff working with animals become AALAS certified (American Association for Laboratory Science). This ensures that our staff is skilled and knowledgeable in the many aspects of the laboratory animal science environment. Currently we have 10 full time staff members which are comprised of the Director and Veterinarian, Facility Manager, Business Operations Analyst,  Animal Health Technician, Lab Animal Technicians, and 5 husbandry staff members.  We also employ part time graduate students who are well trained in the aspects of laboratory animal care that they are tasked to perform.

The UNTHSC Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine (DLAM) Vivarium comprises over 25,000 sq. ft. of animal housing and service space in two facilities. It includes 47 animal housing rooms.  There is a quarantine room, isolation room, surgical room and suite, two procedure rooms, lab, two full shower facilities, a dirty/clean cage wash area, clean cage storage room, a walk-in freezer and food cooler, a necropsy room, and an animal receiving room.  There is a bio-hazard Suite that consists of three procedure rooms, two hallways, and an animal housing room.

The main facility is comprised of two hallways, one for housing conventional animals and a barrier hallway with an air door entrance to house immuno-compromised or Specific Pathogen Free  animals.

All rodent housing is on HEPA filtered ventilated racks with polycarbonate cages.  Animal housing rooms have a HEPA filtered cage changing station to help further reduce occupational exposure to allergens.  All animal housing rooms have full lighting and temperature controls to ensure proper environmental regulation.

This page was last modified on November 14, 2016