About us

The Department of Comparative Medicine (AKM) is an experimental animal department for traditional laboratory animals at Uit Norway's Arctic University. It is a core facility under the Faculty of Health Sciences (Helsefak).

Together with the University Hospital of Northern Norway (UNN), Helsefak has a preclinical laboratory animal department for medical imaging (core facility PETCore), which has advanced diagnostic imaging equipment.

AKM first opened in 1992 and has since then modernized its facilities. In 2017, AKM was closed due to the development of a new department and remodeling of the existing one.

AKM is currently divided into 3 subdivisions

• AKM 1 (small animals, rodents) incl. PETCore.
• AKM 2 (large animals, zebrafish and isolation section for rodents).
• AKM 3 (breeding department and specific opportunists and pathogen-free department).

 Today, AKM 1 is actively operated as a specific pathogen opportunistic free unit (SPOF) for small rodents.

AKM 2 is per 1/1-2023 not completed, but consists of 3 main barriers:

• Large animal department (pig, rabbit, small cattle).
• Aquarium department (zebra fish and frog).
• Isolation department (for infection tests up to BSL2 with small rodents and rabbits).

AKM 3 is undergoing building planning and has not yet been built. Building is expected to be completed by January 2024.

Our research groups dispose of equipment and facilities in addition to the core facilities. See our research groups here:  Research groups at Helsefak.