Site in Cologne

At the Cologne site, mainly mice are used as experimental animals. However, naked mole rats, fish, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, sheep and pigs are also used in various experimental projects.

Animal experimental research at the University of Cologne is carried out in modern central facilities. A further new building will combine remaining decentralized smaller husbandries in 2023. Care is provided by competent trained animal care staff. In addition, laboratory animal technicians are trained at the site.

The animal welfare officers advise the management of the laboratory animal facilities, the veterinarians as well as the scientists and employees involved in animal experiments in the sense of the 3Rs - also in the planning and implementation of experimental projects. At the University of Cologne, courses in laboratory animal science are offered for the acquisition of expertise in accordance with EU function A and D, as well as training courses with up-to-date information for the application and implementation of the 3Rs principle and animal welfare-friendly handling.

The animal welfare officers advise the management of the laboratory animal facilities, the veterinarians as well as the scientists and employees involved in animal experiments in the sense of the 3Rs - also in the planning and implementation of experimental projects. At the University of Cologne, courses in laboratory animal science are offered for the acquisition of expertise according to EU function A and D, as well as advanced training courses with current information for the application and implementation of the 3Rs principle and animal welfare-friendly handling.

A major focus at the Cologne site is the production of transgenic mouse lines, which has been significantly improved and accelerated by the introduction of the genome editing process. The use of CRISPR/Cas technologies has enabled the production of increasingly precise disease models in mice, resulting in greater translationality and thus increasing the importance of the individual animal experiment. The development of conditional models allows inducible and tissue-specific modification and reduces unnecessary stress in the animal. In the interest of reducing animal experimentation, imaging techniques such as CT, MRI, PET or ultrasound are used. With the support of the Cologne Center for Genomics (CCG), researchers can also perform studies at the single cell level.

In this way, a maximum amount of information and data can be generated from a small number of animals. Already now, almost all research groups use replacement methods based on human material, such as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), cell culture models, 3D cell culture systems or organoids, prior to animal experiments. In addition, there is often a sharing of mouse cohorts between many different working groups at the site, as well as in cross-site collaborations. Breeding is centrally coordinated and monitored so that overproduction of animals in terms of 3Rs (reduction) is prevented. Genetic quality assurance ensures that mouse lines remain stable and reproducible, and the efficient use of cryopreservation of sperm and embryos reduces maintenance breeding of mice. The Cologne site follows the 3Rs principle in the use of animals and has adopted guidelines for the ethical handling of laboratory animals in research and teaching in 2019.