Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

Phase 1 Standing Tall

Construction on our new 100,000 square-foot facility reached the one-third completion mark this month, taking shape for all passers-by to see. Exceptional planning and execution from our partners at The Weitz Company, STRANG and Invision Architecture have offset global supply chain challenges and arctic temperatures to keep the project on time and on budget. When Phase 1 opens in 2023, we will welcome a new era in state-of-the-art lab work in bacteriology, histopathology, necropsy and pathology. Also providing the “front door” to the complex, this phase includes receiving and sample processing along with an incinerator capable of handling all of the VDL biological waste.

Phase 2 in the Legislature’s Hands

Planning is well underway for Phase 2 of the VDL project. Current construction will enable the estimated 70,000 square-foot second phase to be added seamlessly while many of the VDL’s team of 170 scientists and technicians make good use of the initial phase. The vital $64.3 million second and final step will house 80 percent of the VDL’s testing capacities. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has recommended $58.9 million in state appropriations from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund in FY2023-2026, with the remainder coming from the university and donors. Legislative conversations are positive, with many legislators demonstrating their understanding of the VDL’s impact on Iowa’s economy, animal agriculture and human health in these challenging times.

“When the first teams move into the new space, people may think the project is completed,” said VDL Director Rodger Main. “Far from it. There is a time-sensitive need in the weeks ahead for supporters of this much-needed investment in infrastructure to contact legislators and urge them to get the entirety of the VDL building project funded.”

Biosafety Never More Vital

While the new VDL will certainly be an upgrade from the current facility visually, it is mainly designed for practicality. Iowa State’s VDL has been instrumental in responding to and preparing for increasingly complex threats to human and animal health – including expanding COVID-19 testing capacity for the State of Iowa and preparing for foreign animal diseases such as high path avian influenza – so this upgrade and expansion comes at a crucial time.

“The strategically-built spaces are much more open and flexible than what we currently have,” Dr. Main said. “The biocontainment, biosafety and quality and quantity of space will all be much improved. We’re building a facility that puts us in a position to be flexible for the generations to come.

Public-Private Partnership

We remain grateful to the Iowa Legislature, Governor Reynolds and our Board of Regents for their incredible partnership and financial support, particularly as we ask to embark on Phase 2 to complete our comprehensive complex of veterinary laboratories. Likewise, we must thank our advocates and generous contributors who are making our shared vision for unsurpassed innovation, research and safety in the veterinary diagnostic services a reality. Private support from friends like you is crucial to helping to close the gap between the project’s cost and state funding. If you’re interested in supporting the VDL, please contact Trent Wellman at twellman@foundation.iastate.edu or 515.294.4675.

All the best for a healthy and productive spring season,

Dan Grooms, D.V.M., Ph.D.

Dr. Stephen G. Juelsgaard Dean of Veterinary Medicine