MD Anderson’s Keeling Center Open House Set for April 24
MD Anderson News Release April 15, 2015
MD Anderson News Release 04/15/2015
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research will open its doors to the community from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, April 24.
“We welcome our Central Texas neighbors to visit and learn about the important research that we do at the Keeling Center to improve medical care by increasing our understanding of human disease,” said Christian Abee, D.V.M., director of the Keeling Center and chair of Veterinary Sciences at MD Anderson. “Our open house is one way we help the public understand important life-saving research in their community and thank them for their support.”
During the event, visitors are invited to take a walking tour. Abbreviated bus tours also will be available. Research exhibits, demonstrations and an interactive lab for school-age students also will be featured.
The tours will include the Comparative Medicine Research Building (CMRB); a state-of-the-art 73,000-square-foot building that serves as the central hub of the 381-acre campus. Tours will also include research laboratories, and rhesus monkey, chimpanzee, squirrel monkey and owl monkey colonies.
Registration begins at 3 p.m. The Keeling Center is located at 650 Cool Water Dr., off Highway 95 between Farm-to-Market Road 2336 and Pershing Blvd. No video or still photography will be permitted.
The Keeling Center houses approximately 2,000 animals of 12 species including chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys, squirrel monkeys, owl monkeys, sheep, cattle, swine, goats and rodents all used in biomedical research to improve our understanding of cancer and other diseases that impact human health.
More than 100 employees, including veterinarians, animal caregivers, research technicians and administrative staff care for animals at the Keeling Center. The center also offers training opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and veterinary medical students from several universities, including The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University.
Animals contribute to research into improved prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer as well as investigations in hepatitis, HIV, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, vaccine development, immunology, autoimmunity, aging and behavior.
Since the facility opened in 1975, it has supported the research of 21 MD Anderson departments and 29 other institutions and agencies. Research at the Keeling Center also conducts studies that contribute to the enhanced health and welfare of laboratory and companion animals.