Rutgers Office for Research officials worked with scientists globally to create an artificial intelligence tool aimed at transforming laboratory studies. The international group shared its results in a paper published in Lab Animal. The project was headed by Jeetendra Eswaraka along with Michael E. Zwick and additional team members. Standard animal condition checks occur mainly in daylight when rodents show lower activity, making early health problems difficult to notice. The new system tracks movement around the clock through a digital marker and applies a large language model to notify veterinary teams of possible concerns. It identified issues three to five days ahead of visible symptoms. The approach also raised operational efficiency by more than half. The Rutgers University Animal Care Program recently earned renewed accreditation from AAALAC International, confirming it meets top standards for ethical animal treatment in research.
