The missions of the Department of Animal Biology include:
- Cutting-edge research in mechanistic biology and translational research related to health and disease,
- Training veterinary students,
- Participation in the undergraduate and graduate training programs at the University.
Historically, the department is recognized as one of the premier basic science departments in veterinary medicine and research conducted in Animal Biology has had a major global impact on experimental biology and medicine. Animal Biology anchors veterinary education within the larger context of one medicine and tightly links the school with Penn's biomedical community.
The department has 23 tenure track and five research track faculty who are members of one of the four laboratories:
Three of our faculty are members of the Center for Animal Transgenesis and Germ Cell Research, located at New Bolton Center, Penn Vet's large-animal facility 30 miles west of Philadelphia. The research interests of our faculty include mechanisms of oncogenesis, transgenesis, stem cell biology/regenerative medicine, spermatogenesis, cardiac development, nucleosome structure, cell differentiation, developmental biology, osteogenesis, mitochondrial biogenesis, drug metabolism, behavioral neurobiology, sleep disorders, angiotensin receptor mechanisms and evolutionary biology. Animal Biology receives about $8 million annually in extramural research funds.