The Division of Comparative Medicine (DCM) is a free-standing academic unit that reports directly to the Vice President for Research. A Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine was established at MIT in 1975 to meet legal mandates and federal guidelines for the care and maintenance of laboratory animals. In 1980, it was renamed the Division of Comparative Medicine to reflect growing involvement in research and teaching.
Today, DCM employs over 180 professionals towards facilitating the work with animals of over 140 MIT and Whitehead Institute faculty across 18 departments, labs, centers, and institutes, ultimately underpinning $350.5 million in sponsored research dollars received in FY24 (34% of total sponsored research funding awarded to MIT).
The field of comparative medicine encompasses the study of similarities and differences between animals and humans, and how we can apply what we learn about health and disease states in different organisms to advance knowledge and medicine across species. Central to this mission is the practice of modeling human disease in animals. DCM's expert practitioner-scientists work closely with MIT and the Whitehead Institute to ensure that the research communities work with animal models in a way that produces rigorous scientific results while preserving animal welfare.
DCM’s central goals continue to be:
- Provide excellent care to all animals;
- Maintain a high level of service to research investigators;
- Foster a collaborative team environment within DCM and the research community that works with animals at MIT and the Whitehead Institute;
- Lead and expand comparative medicine and translational research; and
- Train the next generation of comparative medicine scientists.