The Lab Animal Care and Use Program at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH&RC) has received the accreditation of The Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC International). It is the first research institution to receive this accreditation in Saudi Arabia. Head of the Comparative Medicine and Chief Clinical Veterinary Medicine Scientist at KFSH&RC Dr. Abdullah Asiri said that the hospital receiving of this full accreditation is proof of the excellence of the institution and its members to conduct global medical research according to the highest ethical standards. This important accreditation also enhances the global credibility and research and surgical excellence and stresses that the institution is committed to the best and humane use of animals in medical research to push forward the scientific movement at the global level in a way that accords with Saudi Vision 2030. He noted that the program aims at using animals in main pre-clinical medical experiments, such as cancers, heart diseases, contagious diseases and genetic diseases, where these animals are used in experimental surgeries for organ transplants and developing microsurgeries. Dr. Asiri added that many of the contagious diseases have been eliminated with the use of experimental animals, and what we see today of success in controlling the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with the use of vaccines stresses the importance of experimental animals in medical discoveries and eliminating diseases. AAALAC-International is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through voluntary accreditation and assessment programs. When animals are used, AAALAC works with institutions and researchers to serve as a bridge between progress and animal well-being. This is done through AAALAC"s voluntary accreditation process in which research programs demonstrate that they meet the minimum standards required by law, and are also going the extra step to achieve excellence in animal care and use. — SPA