College of Veterinary Medicine
Dark Lab
Led by Michael J Dark · Comparative, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine
What we study
The lab studies diseases in animals to model human conditions, focusing on bacterial genomics, vector-borne diseases, and DNA research. They examine how to use old tissue samples for genetic studies and test new DNA preservation methods.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Bacteria & microbes
- Projects
- 2
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Examining alternative fixatives for DNA research
Testing new methods to preserve DNA in tissue samples for genetic research.
Determining the maximum useful sample age for DNA recovery from diagnostic tissue samples
Finding how old tissue samples can still be useful for DNA analysis.
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Intratumoral distribution of anisokaryosis in canine cutaneous mast cell tumors
2026 · Veterinary Pathology
Measures nuclear size differences in canine skin tumors to predict survival.
- Human alphaherpesvirus 1 in two ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), one black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata), and one Varecia hybrid lemur (Varecia variegata x Varecia rubra)
2026 · Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine
Finds human herpesvirus in captive lemurs, confirmed by DNA testing.
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- Recognition and reporting of histologic features in canine integumentary mast cell tumors: An assessment of interpathologist agreement
2026 · Veterinary Pathology
Tests how well pathologists agree on diagnosing canine mast cell tumors.
- A novel proficiency test to assess the animal diagnostic investigation process in identifying an unknown toxicant
2025 · Toxicology Reports
Tests labs' ability to identify toxicants in animals by simulating a lead poisoning case.
- Preoperative Computed Tomography Features as Predictors of Malignancy and Survival in Canine Adrenal Tumours
2025 · Veterinary and Comparative Oncology
Examines CT scans of dog adrenal tumors to see if they predict cancer and survival.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Michael J Dark hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.