KNOWING how to collect and analyse blood samples from different animals is a specialised business, and it is about to be made much clearer for researchers with a new haematology atlas.

Dr Phillip Clark, a new arrival to Murdoch University, and coauthors are compiling the available information about these procedures for Australian mammals.

“The methods to collect and analyse blood can vary greatly between species and we hope this reference guide will help researchers who are specialists in other fields,” said Dr Clark.

Dr Clark, who is the new Director of the Clinical Pathology Laboratory at the Division of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, believes the atlas will enable Australian biologists and veterinarians to perform more specialised tests and research.

In addition to the atlas, Dr Clark will be supporting researchers at Murdoch and other institutions around Western Australia with an extensive range of laboratory tests.

Although blood disorders like haemophilia are his particular research focus, a wide range of tests are carried out at the laboratory and Dr Clark will advise clients about suitable tests for their research.