Manual Contents / LAS Homecage
Laboratory Animal Services (LAS) is responsible for the oversight of the laboratory animal care and use program at Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey.
The Director of Laboratory Animal Services is Robert L. Harris, D.V.M. Dr. Harris and Dr. Stephen K. Curtis, Associate Director of Laboratory Animal Services, provide the veterinary care for the program. Management of the animal facilities is delegated to Managers on each of the major campuses where animals are used. LAS is an administrative unit reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Research Administration.
Laboratory Animal Services provides routine animal husbandry services such as daily observation, feeding, watering and facility sanitation. LAS can provide more specialized technical animal care and husbandry services on request. LAS conducts training programs in animal care and use for faculty, research staff, students and for its own animal care staff. LAS veterinarians provide clinical care and diagnostic services, including necropsy, for laboratory animals, generally at no charge to faculty. Veterinarians are available to provide assistance in study design, animal model selection and development, development of new techniques, and preparation of animal use protocols.
B. Administrative Offices
The LAS Director's office is located in Room D108, Nelson Biological Laboratories on the Busch Campus. The phone number is (732) 445-4168. Administrative offices for the animal care program on each campus may be viewed by clicking Here.
C. Overview of Animal Research at Rutgers
Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey has campuses in the New Brunswick/Piscataway area, Newark and Camden. Animals are used for research and teaching on the Busch, Livingston, Cook, Newark and Camden campuses.
The animal care program for all campuses is administered on a University-wide basis by Laboratory Animal Services. The Animal Care and Facilities Committee serves investigators on all campuses. Rutgers is registered with the United States Department of Agriculture and has an approved Animal Welfare Assurance with the Public Health Service. The Rutgers animal care program on all campuses, including the Cook Agricultural Research Farm is accredited by the Association for the Assesment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care - International (AAALAC).
At the University as a whole (as of April, 1998), there are 366 projects using animals currently approved by the
Animal Care and Facilities Committee. Animals are used in research and teaching by 183 faculty members in 14 departments. Approximately 300 graduate students are involved in animal related research. Live animals are used in 13 courses. On any given day, there are approximately 16,000 research animals housed in Rutgers animal facilities. Mice, rats, and chickens are the most numerous species. The University receives $154.6 million in research funding. Of these dollars, $12.3 million are received from the Department of Health and Human Services, $8.2 million from the National Science Foundation, $13.7 million from other federal government sources and $11.7 million from non-governmental sources. Projects involving animal research are funded at a level of $11.8 million