The Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya has earned full accreditation by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (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 Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya is the first academic institution in Malaysia to be AAALAC accredited, joining more than 900 companies, universities, hospitals, government agencies and other research institutions in 37 countries that have earned AAALAC accreditation, demonstrating their commitment to responsible animal care and use.
Through this voluntary accreditation process, the Faculty of Medicine has demonstrated its full committment in promoting ethical and humane use of laboratory animals to advance medicine and science when there are no non-animal alternatives. Research programs involving animals in the Faculty of Medicine must meet the minimum standards required by law, and are also going the extra step to achieve excellence in animal care and use.
The Faculty of Medicine animal facilities house a number of different strains of mice and rats, as well as New Zealand White rabbits for the sole purpose of biomedical research and teaching for staff and students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya. Our mission is to provide the highest standards of animal care and use through continued education and training; and our vision is to be a renowned and internationally accredited animal facility that promotes advancement in quality laboratory animal research, while ensuring a balance between scientific rigor and integrity in animal experimentation (i.e., good science and ethical research).
“I am pleased to see that the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya has managed to get AALAC accreditation for its animal facilities. This augurs well for the future of medical research in the University of Malaya." said Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation), University of Malaya Prof Dr. Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud.
“It takes a great deal of commitment and determination to earn AAALAC International accreditation,” said Dr. Wong Pooi Fong, Head of Animal Facilities. “This success is made possible with strong support from and commitment of the management of University of Malaya, by investing in the state-of-art facilities and all support systems for the animal care and use program and the dedicated Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), including the involvement of public members and the thorough protocol review process. Our team will continue to deliver the highest quality of animal care and use program in the Faculty of Medicine”
