MIT Division of Comparative Medicine
The Division of Comparative Medicine (DCM) is a free-standing academic unit that reports directly to the Vice President for Research. The Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine was established in 1975 to meet legal mandates and federal guidelines for the care and maintenance of laboratory animals. In 1980, the Division was renamed the Division of Comparative Medicine to reflect growing involvement in research and teaching. Today, DCM employs over 175 people and oversees a daily census of approximately 90,000 to 100,000 animals comprising over 15 species. The Division's missions include:
- the veterinary care and maintenance of animal health for all animals used in biomedical research at MIT
- diagnostic laboratory services, biomedical research funded by NIH and private industry
- postdoctoral training in biomedical research
MIT's major areas of research interest include cancer biology, neurocognition, and medical device development. At DCM, they include the pathogenesis of infectious diseases, immunology, platelet biology, gastrointestinal cancer, gastrointestinal microbiome studies, metabolic diseases, gnotobiotics, probiotics, and the refinement and development of animal models.