# Animal and Animal Food Diagnostic Sample Analysis in Support of FDA Vet-LIRN Activities and Investigations

> **NIH FDA U18** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2020 · $48,300

## Abstract

Opportunity #PAR-17-141 University of Pennsylvania – Animal and Animal Food Diagnostic Sample
Analysis in Support of FDA Vet-LIRN Activities and Investigations
 PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System (PADLS) located at the University of
Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center campus currently offers comprehensive veterinary diagnostic services
in the areas of avian and mammalian pathology, microbiology, and toxicology. PADLS is fully accredited
by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) and the New Bolton
Center facility is a first-tier laboratory member of the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response
Network (Vet-LIRN). In addition to safeguarding the animals and citizens of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania against threats to animal health and food safety, the laboratory also serves as a critical
regional resource throughout the Eastern United States making it an excellent fit for this Vet-LIRN
project proposal.
Our laboratory is experienced in the analysis of a variety of sample and matrix types, including but not
limited to animal samples, environmental samples, vermin, water, animal drug products, and animal and
human food products and ingredients such as grain, meat, fish, and milk. The current program will
continue to benefit from our laboratory’s veterinary diagnostic experience, expertise, and infrastructure
that we will use to accomplish the work described for this project. In addition to addressing the current
need for added laboratory capacity in the event of a large-scale outbreak or threat incident involving
animal food or drug-related illnesses or other large-scale emergency events requiring surge capacity
testing, the PADLS New Bolton Center Laboratory can further strengthen the Vet-LIRN through
diagnostic activities that better enable early detection of emerging events involving national food safety
and security and facilitate the rapid responses that can minimize harm and best protect both human and
animal health.
Our laboratory provides comprehensive veterinary diagnostic services to the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania and the surrounding region through collaborations with federal, state, and local
organizations and stakeholders. Some analyses are requested as part of normal surveillance activities or
routine necropsies, while others are associated with cases of excessive, unexpected, or otherwise
unexplainable animal losses or illness that may potentially pose a risk to animal health and/or animal or
human food safety. The laboratory is fully accredited by AAVLD and adheres to their “Requirements for
an Accredited Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory”, meeting specific requirements pertaining to
all aspects of the laboratory and its activities. AAVLD also requires that our laboratory has a Quality
System in place that documents policies, systems, programs, and procedures. Due to the varied nature
of the sample matrices we receive we are constantly improvi...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9940718
- **Project number:** 5U18FD006158-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Lisa Murphy
- **Activity code:** U18 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** FDA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $48,300
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9940718

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9940718, Animal and Animal Food Diagnostic Sample Analysis in Support of FDA Vet-LIRN Activities and Investigations (5U18FD006158-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9940718. Licensed CC0.

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