Saudi Arabia Plans Advanced Animal Research Facility in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah International Medical Research Center is planning to build a specialized laboratory animal facility in Riyadh, alongside a biosafety level 3 laboratory capable of handling bacteria and viruses that require advanced containment measures, according to Al Arabiyah.
Mohammed Al-Tokhais, research director in the center’s partnerships and collaborations department, said the expanded facility is intended to meet advanced international standards for laboratory animal research, supporting experiments involving small and medium-sized animals while providing the infrastructure and equipment needed for biotechnology research. The planned biosafety level 3 lab would allow researchers to study certain infectious agents under tightly controlled conditions.
Al-Tokhais said the center’s broader partnerships aim to transfer knowledge and technology into the Kingdom, build national research expertise, and generate new discoveries. Some agreements involve training Saudi researchers and physicians in advanced techniques not yet available domestically, with participants expected to apply what they’ve learned toward localizing those technologies once their training abroad is complete. The collaborations could ultimately lead to new patents, scientific studies, and the localization of medical technologies and treatments.
According to Al-Tokhais, medical research typically takes several years to reach the market given the rigorous testing and regulatory approval required to protect human health, a process that includes toxicity testing, animal studies and clinical trials before final approval from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority. He estimated that research outcomes generally take three to five years to reach market, though preliminary results can sometimes emerge within three to six months depending on the study’s nature and stage.
The planned facility builds on infrastructure already in place at several leading Saudi universities and medical institutions. KAUST’s Animal Resources Core Laboratory, for instance, supports biomedical research involving mice through a specific pathogen-free facility accredited by AAALAC International, offering advanced imaging, irradiation and behavioral-assessment equipment. King Saud University’s Experimental Surgery and Laboratory Animal Centre, established at its College of Medicine in Riyadh in 1987, supports ethically compliant research through dedicated animal housing and isolation rooms, while King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre provides husbandry and veterinary care for research animals, including rodents and non-human primates, at its Riyadh campus and the King Fahad National Centre for Children’s Cancer.
Together, these facilities reflect Saudi Arabia’s growing investment in the infrastructure and expertise needed to advance biomedical and biotechnology research.
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