Lab technician Becca Wharton organizes tissue homogenates for storage using the Laboratory Information Management System that tracks location and status. Photos by Dave Gieseke.
The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) at the College of Veterinary Medicine is operational in its new location across the parking lot from Patterson Hall. Client services, receiving/accessioning, sample processing, necropsy, pathology, histopathology and bacteriology units and the incinerator opened March 11 at the new site.
Construction on the $75 million first phase began in March 2021, supported by $63.5 million in state appropriations over five years. The remaining funding came from private donors and Iowa State.
Diagnostic associate Emily Foresta gathers slides from the daily stained and coverslipped tissue sections in preparation for digital imaging.
Construction on the second phase is scheduled to begin this spring with completion anticipated in 2026. It will house the remaining VDL sections: molecular diagnostics, genetic sequencing, virology, serology, analytical chemistry, toxicology, biosafety level 3 laboratory, diagnostic research and development, information technology and quality assurance, and administrative offices, which will continue to operate in their Patterson Hall locations until phase 2 is completed.
The 2023 Legislature approved $18 million in state support this year for phase 2. And in January 2023, Gov. Kim Reynolds pledged $40 million in state support from funds directed to Iowa in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the U.S. Congress' third major pandemic recovery package. Private gifts and university funds will make up the rest of the proposed $66.5 million project.
A dual celebration will be held Thursday, April 4, to dedicate phase 1 and break ground on phase 2.
Iowa State's VDL has been a national leader in protecting animal and human health since it was established in 1947. The facility has the largest food animal caseload in the country while serving the most progressive livestock and poultry producers in the world. Annually, the facility sees more than 120,000 cases and conducts 1.6 million tests.
Diagnostic associate Karissa Lageson (left) and student employee Logan Proctor sort bacterial culture plates.
Diagnostic assistant Nichole Smith (right) prepares tissue specimens for PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing. Beyond Smith, diagnostic assistant Kiele Rolph organizes tissue specimens received from the necropsy unit.
