What does AAALAC mean in LABORATORY

AAALAC stands for the Association for Assessment Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care. It is a nonprofit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals used in research, testing, and education.

AAALAC promotes animal welfare by providing an objective assessment of the care and use of laboratory animals through its accreditation program. This includes regular reviews to ensure that all facilities meet their standards for animal welfare, as well as offering resources to help researchers improve their protocols and best practices for caring for laboratory animals.

In order to become accredited through AAALAC, you must complete a self-study evaluation form that outlines your compliance with their standards for animal welfare. Once this form has been completed, it can be reviewed by AAALAC's Program Review Committee who will make a recommendation based on whether or not your facility meets these standards. If you pass the review process, you will be granted accreditation status.

Yes! Having AAALAC accreditation shows that your institution or organization is committed to providing high-quality care and use of laboratory animals and adhering to ethical standards in research and teaching. This can help increase public trust in your research programs, attract funding from grant agencies or private sources, and demonstrate excellence in your animal care practices which may lead to increased recognition within the scientific community.

If your institution does not receive full accreditation after completion of an initial review by PA ERC veterinary staff members; their report will note deficiencies with suggested corrective actions so that these can be addressed in subsequent reviews made by PA ERC veterinary staff members until full accreditation is achieved.