New D-Lab Becomes Reality

When it was built in 1976, the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory was a state-of-the-art building, whose 30 faculty and staff worked on 16,000 cases a year.

As the years went by the annual caseload increased dramatically to well over 100,000 cases. To meet that demand, the number of faculty and staff working in the facility also increased.

Overcrowding, biosafety and biocontainment issues, and the lab’s continued growth led College of Veterinary Medicine leaders to find a solution.

Phase 1 of their solution will become a reality this fall when the new VDL opens in a facility befitting the nation’s top veterinary diagnostic laboratory, one that sees the largest food animal caseload in the country.

Construction of the new facility was made possible through $63.5 million in appropriations from the Iowa Legislature over a six-year period. Additional funding for Phase 1 has been provided by the VDL, the College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, and private donors.

“The largest champions for the project have been the VDL’s stakeholders across all aspects of veterinary medicine and animal agriculture,” said Dr. Rodger Main, VDL director. “They educated legislators about how the lab impacts their veterinary clinics, farming operations, and local communities. They were just tremendous advocates to raise awareness of the need for a new lab.”

When the lab opens in November of 2023, faculty, staff and operations in receiving/accessioning, necropsy, sample processing, histopathology, bacteriology, pathology, and an incinerator will be the new facility’s residents. However, many of the key components of the VDL will be “left behind” in the current facility.

But their stay in the aging laboratory won’t be for long. The Iowa Legislature has once again come through with funding, approving an appropriation of $18 million for Phase 2. This is in addition to $40 million in funding from funds directed to Iowa in the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Fundraising and internal funding will make up the rest of the proposed $66.5 million project.

Phase 1 was constructed so Phase 2 could be readily built on, allowing the remaining VDL operations to come under one roof. Even as the first group of operations moves into the new building, work will already be underway on Phase 2.

Pending final approval by the Board of Regents, construction could begin as early as the spring of 2024, with completion slated for the fall of 2026.

Phase 2 will include the critical diagnostic services including molecular diagnostics, serology, virology, analytical chemistry, toxicology and pharmacology, genetic sequencing, bioinformatics, BSL-3 lab, and the VDL’s research and development function.

“The Veterinary Diagnostic Lab is absolutely critical to support and protect our state and country’s agriculture industry and food supply,” Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said. “This investment in Phase 2 will significantly expand the VDL’s capacity to support Iowa’s $32.5 billion animal agriculture industry and will keep this nationally recognized lab on the forefront of cutting-edge technology. Iowa will remain a global leader in agriculture, combatting foreign animal diseases, and recruiting and retaining veterinary talent.” gd