Site in Duisburg/Essen

The Central Animal Laboratory Essen (ZTL - Zentrales Tierlaboratorium Essen) has several animal facilities and is responsible for the welfare-friendly husbandry and breeding of laboratory animals for the University Hospital Essen. In addition, four core facilities of the ZTL (Transgene Unit with cryopreservation, Behavioural Phenotyping, Large Animal and Small Animal Surgery Unit as well as a Laboratory Unit) are available to the researchers on site, whose senior scientific staff support them in their scientific questions. The scientists at UK Essen also have access to the wide range of small animal imaging methods (e.g. small animal PET) of the Imaging Center Essen (IMCES) and the Department of Nulear Medicine. A small animal MRI is also available at the ZTL.

The ZTL also offers assistance with animal experimental procedures as well as lectures and training courses to obtain the necessary expertise (A and B courses). Five animal welfare officers advise researchers on the preparation of animal experiment applications and later work to ensure compliance with animal welfare regulations during their implementation. Many research groups already use well-established replacement or alternative procedures at the site, such as organoid and cell culture models. For single organ analyses, Langendorf apparatus is used by several groups.

Since 2022, an annual animal welfare prize has been awarded for the further development of methods that contribute to the concrete implementation of the 3R principle at the site.