Animal Facility

Denise DiFrancesco
Facility Director
Phone: 215-898-3782
Email: difrancesco@wistar.org

Introduction

The Animal Facility is a shared resource that provides services in laboratory animal medicine and husbandry, as well as routine animal procurement, inventory, and care, for all Wistar scientists using animals in their research. The aim is to facilitate research through humane and efficient management of animal populations. The Animal Facility occupies a separate building adjacent to the Wistar Cancer Building. This four-floor building comprises 13,067 net sq. ft. with 27 animal rooms, and complete state-of-the-art surgical , necropsy, and other facilities. The Wistar Animal Care and Use Program is fully accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC).

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee is responsible for overseeing the Animal Care and Use Program with regard to the maintenance of acceptable standards for the care, use, and treatment of animals, including regulatory compliance, investigator training, and technical support services. Two attending veterinarians oversee all animal health concerns.