Kansas City, Mo. (July 18, 2008) - The Stowers Institute’s animal care facility has been re-accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International. AAALAC International is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through voluntary accreditation and assessment programs. The Institute has maintained its AAALAC accreditation since it first applied in 2002.

     Re-accreditation followed a February inspection of the Institute’s animal care facility by an AAALAC inspection team that included top animal care professionals and researchers from around the nation.

     In its notification letter, the AAALAC Accreditation Council recognized the Institute for excellence in a number of areas, writing, “The Council commends you and the staff for providing and maintaining an exemplary program of laboratory animal care and use. Especially noteworthy were the administration’s commitment to a superior program of animal care; the quality of the facilities and equiptment; the dedicated staff; the engaged Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and their thorough post-approval mentoring program; the institution’s exemplary animal care practices; the excellent husbandry records; the detailed medical records; and the well written standard operating procedures.”

     Since its inception, the Institute has cultivated an innovative animal care facility that puts state-of-the-art technology into the hands of skilled animal care professionals.

     “The Stowers Institute is committed to maintaining an animal care program of the highest quality,” said Robb Krumlauf, Ph.D., Scientific Director. “Thanks to the meticulous care and dedicated service of the Institute’s animal care professionals, we have created one of the finest animal care programs in the world. Their efforts are apparent not only in the consistency of our research results, but also in this glowing report from AAALAC.”

     More than 750 universities, hospitals, government agencies, companies, and other research institutions in 29 countries have earned AAALAC accreditation, demonstrating their commitment to responsible animal care and use. These institutions volunteer to participate in AAALAC's program, in addition to complying with the local, state, and federal laws that regulate animal research.

About the Stowers Institute
     Housed in a 600,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility on a 10-acre campus in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research conducts basic research on fundamental processes of cellular life. Through its commitment to collaborative research and the use of cutting-edge technology, the Institute seeks more effective means of preventing and curing disease. The Institute was founded by Jim and Virginia Stowers, two cancer survivors who have created combined endowments of $2 billion in support of basic research of the highest quality.