Penn Vet Breaks Ground on State-Funded Laboratory to Speed Diagnoses and Strengthen Pennsylvania’s Animal and Public Health

When a flock or herd shows signs of illness, or a racehorse tests positive for a banned substance, the accuracy and speed of laboratory results can determine the outcome for animals, livelihoods, and public health. A new state-funded diagnostic laboratory broke ground today at New Bolton Center, the large-animal campus of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) in Chester County, designed to deliver those results faster and to accelerate research in a purpose-built space.

The $94 million, 63,000-square-foot Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL), sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, will bring together the New Bolton Center laboratory of the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System (PADLS) and the Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology Research Laboratory (PETRL), which serve producers, public health officials, veterinarians, regulators, and racing officials across the state.

Both laboratories have outgrown their current homes. The PADLS laboratory at New Bolton Center, which performed more than 279,000 diagnostic tests last year, operates in laboratory spaces spread across several buildings on the Center’s upper and lower campuses, with no room to innovate, grow, or consolidate. PETRL typically tests 30,000 samples a year from six Pennsylvania racetracks and leads research in drug testing, even as it works from leased space at West Chester University and research space at New Bolton Center. The new VDL will provide analytical and research laboratories designed for each program’s current work, with space to expand.

“For years, our diagnostic and toxicology teams have delivered results that people across Pennsylvania rely on,” said Andrew M. Hoffman, DVM, DVSc, DACVIM, the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine at Penn Vet. “The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory will put them side by side in modern facilities, where collaboration is part of the daily workflow. The Commonwealth’s investment gives the science that protects Pennsylvania’s animals, agriculture, and public health a home equal to its importance.”

The VDL reflects the Commonwealth’s commitment to Pennsylvania agriculture, a sector that includes more than 48,800 farms, contributes over $132 billion a year to the state’s economy, and supports nearly 600,000 jobs.

“Science continues to reveal critical connections between animal health, human health, and the health of our environment,” Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “Penn Vet has been at the center of discovery that deepens and reinforces those connections. Supporting Penn Vet’s cutting-edge research, diagnostic testing, and quality animal care strengthens Pennsylvania’s capacity to detect and prevent disease, respond quickly in crisis, and continue growing and leading in animal agriculture. This expansion is more proof that investments by the Shapiro Administration are feeding Pennsylvania’s economic future and protecting Pennsylvania’s rich agricultural heritage.”

The Commonwealth established PADLS in 1991 to protect animal and human health and minimize agricultural economic loss across the state. The New Bolton Center laboratory is one of four state laboratories in the system, along with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory in Harrisburg and Penn State’s laboratories in University Park and western Pennsylvania. The New Bolton Center, Harrisburg, and University Park facilities are members of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) and accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD). As the newest member of PADLS, Penn State’s other facility in western Pennsylvania will work toward its NAHLN membership and AAVLD accreditation.

PETRL analyzes post-race samples collected following competition, as well as out-of-competition samples used to screen horses in training for substances that compromise the integrity of racing and the welfare of the horse. With research funding from the Commonwealth and other generous donors, PETRL has become the only laboratory in the United States accredited to test for gene doping and the only laboratory in the country capable of confirming the presence of blood-doping agents such as erythropoietin (EPO) and darbepoetin (DPO). PETRL adheres to the international ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation standard and is dual-accredited by the Racing Medication Testing Consortium and the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation.

Construction of the VDL is expected to be completed in 2028, with both laboratories moving into the new building in 2029. The architect for the project is SMP Architects. Once open, the laboratory will be a dedicated home for the diagnostic and toxicology work that Pennsylvania’s agricultural and equine communities depend on, and give Penn Vet’s scientists the capacity to build on it for decades to come.