Research Animal Support Facility - Houston (RASF-H)

Investigators in MD Anderson’s Houston campuses perform clinical and basic cancer research involving laboratory animals including improved cancer treatments and diagnostic procedures, chemotherapeutic and immunologic agents, surgical procedures, radiotherapy and combinations of multiple modalities.

Basic cancer research is conducted in support of patient care in the above areas as well, but also includes other animal use areas such as cancer biology, genetics, biochemistry, molecular therapeutics, immunology, pathology, pharmacology, biomathematics, neurology, anesthesiology and veterinary medicine and surgery.

Services

The Research Animal Support Facility - Houston (RASF-Houston) provides animal husbandry services, veterinary care and consultation, surgical and technical support, clinical and anatomic pathology support, health and genetic quality assurance, consultation and an assortment of technical services to support departmental and institutional research.

Regulatory compliance and training and education in animal care and use are additional functions of the facility, as are provision of animal health quality assurance testing and breeding colony management.

The resource receives partial operational support from the MD Anderson Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG, NIH CA16672).