The Ohio State University’s large consolidated animal care program supports an extensive and comprehensive research program including the Colleges of Medicine, Public Health, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine, Agriculture, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. The entire animal care and use program is accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC). The core biomedical housing facilities (University Laboratory Animal Resources, ULAR) consist of 9 separate buildings located primarily within the Health Sciences complex. Approximately 70,000 sq. ft of animal housing space consists primarily of rodent barrier housing utilizing individually ventilated caging systems, and housing for accommodating large animals, rabbits, and non-human primates. Biomedical support services include a ULAR experimental surgery suite, small animal imaging core, and biohazard housing at the ABSL2 and ABSL3 levels. Dedicated agricultural housing facilities are located in Columbus, Wooster, and various locations throughout the state and are managed by the College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences.
ULAR Facility Access Procedure
Step 1
Key card (Buck ID) access will be granted to individuals listed on an active animal protocol when all required training is completed.
- complete the CITI “Working with the IACUC” online course
- complete an Online Risk Assessment
- attend a Lab Animal Handling and Technique Training class
Step 2
- submit a completed Animal Access Facility Request Form for each facility
- for additional questions about key card requests, email: ularinfo@osu.edu
ULAR Facility Hours and Reservations
Facility access is limited to the hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., although specific exceptions may be granted when required by the animal protocol. Standard light cycles for animal rooms are set at 6 a.m. for lights on and 6 p.m. for lights out in order to allow research animals to maintain a regular circadian rhythm. Entrance to animal rooms after 6 p.m. is specifically restricted as it may have a detrimental effect on animal welfare, specifically influencing reproductive success and the stress response.
Reservations
Reserve a University Laboratory Animal Resources (ULAR) procedure room or housing room hood using the Vital Schedule application.