North Carolina Central University News January 20, 2011 NCCU Lab Animal Program Gains International Group's Accreditation North Carolina Central University's program for care and use of laboratory animals has been awarded full accreditation by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International. The association, known as AAALAC International, is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through voluntary accreditation and assessment programs. Its accreditation standards are stringent, exceeding those established by the federal government. More than 800 research centers in 34 countries - universities, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, schools and hospitals - hold AAALAC accreditation. NCCU is the fifth campus in the University of North Carolina System to receive the association's approval; the others are UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State University, East Carolina University and UNC-Charlotte. "This demonstrates that we're serious about the quality of our research," said Dr. Undi Hoffler, director of research compliance for NCCU's Division of Graduate Education and Research. "We have a first-rate animal care and use program." This is the first time NCCU has sought AAALAC accreditation, Hoffler said. "We earned it on the first try." Key factors contributing to AAALAC awarding full accreditation, she said, were the university's facilities on its main campus and in Kannapolis, N.C.; policies and procedures regarding animal care and use; animal environment and housing, and veterinary care. NCCU houses just three kinds of animals - rats, mice and zebrafish. They are used in a variety of research projects, many of which involve testing and screening to identify compounds that have potential to lead to preventions or treatments for cancer, neurological and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other metabolic disorders. "AAALAC accreditation speaks volumes," Hoffler said. "When competing for research funding, universities with accreditation have a big advantage." It is also a valuable recruitment tool for research faculty, she said. "It means scientists can move their labs and animals here knowing that we have a state-of-the-art program vested in the ethical use of laboratory animals." SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.