DETROIT — Wayne State University has once again received full accreditation by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC).

The Wayne State Animal Care and Use Program underwent a site visit in November 2023. During the visit, a team representing AAALAC International reviewed the Animal Care and Use Program and inspected both the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) and non-DLAR animal housing and use areas. Accreditation renewal for a university is required every three years.

Wayne State University has held full AAALAC International accreditation since 1977. The council commended the university and its staff for providing and maintaining an excellent program of laboratory animal care and use.

“AAALAC accreditation demonstrates that we are adhering not only to the regulatory standards of animal care, but that we are exceeding these standards and excelling in both the administration and the performance of animal research at Wayne State,” said Michael Bradley, DVM, DACLAM, senior director and attending veterinarian for the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources.

"Receiving full accreditation from AAALAC symbolizes that Wayne State University gives the highest quality of care to animals used in research and teaching," said Ezemenari M. Obasi, Ph.D., vice president for research at Wayne State. "I congratulate our entire team, which continues to work tirelessly to meet these important standards."

In its accreditation report, the council said the timely and helpful responses to questions about the programs and document requests were particularly noteworthy, as were the thorough training programs, the knowledge of the veterinary medical care staff, the veterinary signage, the personnel across the entire animal care and use program, the facilities, and the care for the animals’ health.

The council also commended the university’s efforts in improving its anesthetic safety precautions, its clarification of sanitation guidelines and its reporting of uses of non-pharmaceutical-grade compounds.

“We only had three suggestions for improvement, which was a record low for us,” said Bradley. “We plan on addressing these suggestions, and we are proud of this low number of suggestions for improvement, which demonstrates an ever-improving animal care program.”

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Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research institutions in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, the state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit research.wayne.edu.