EPFL’s Center of PhenoGenomics offers a range of services to researchers who need rodent models in their research.
To get access to the CPG areas, a training is required and is divided into two parts:
- Information session;
- Practical training at the requested unit(s). This second part should be performed within a week from the information session.
Please fill in the registration form and send your CV and Module 1 certificate (or equivalent) to [email protected].
More info on how to get started at the CPG are available here.
2024 Calendar
The experimentation facilities provide a range of state-of-the-art equipment to enable cardio-metabolic, biochemical and behavioural exploration of animal models. We offer different types of support to the users, going from general support and training in protocols establishment to full service completion of tests and analysis.
Taking advantage of our expertise in embryo manipulation we propose the rederivation of mouse transgenic lines as a routine service. This procedure based on embryo transfer allows cleaning and importing of a wide range of mouse lines.
We do also sperm cryopreservation of transgenic lines and we perform in vitro fertilisation allowing reliable and efficient method for archiving, distributing of genetically engineered mouse lines and rapidly expanding colony upon need.
As a CPG team of professional animal caretakers, we provide our expertise and advice to EPFL platforms and researchers, in order to ensure the maintenance of genetically modified mouse lines and the production of experimental animals adapted to their projects. Our experience and rigour enable us to guarantee the animal welfare.
The use of animals for research purpose is strictly regulated by:
- The Animal Welfare Act (AWA, RS455);
- The Animal Welfare Ordinance (AWO, RS455.1);
- The Animal Experimentation Ordinance (AExO, RS455.163).
Legal cornerstones of the Animal Welfare Act:
- Experiments with animals must be limited to the indispensable extent and ethically justified (AWA, Art.17)
- Persons carrying out experiments must obtain a license from the Cantonal Veterinary Authorities, which will be limited in time and may contain conditions and requirements (AWA, Art.18)
Follow the link for license procedures.
Authorities
The Application of the animal protection laws is controlled by:
The Swiss law defines the education the study directors (persons who supervises the experiments) and experimenters (persons who conduct the experiments) need to follow to be accredited before being allowed to work with animals in Switzerland.
In Switzerland, each animal experiment must be approved by the Veterinary Authorities. In collaboration with the EPFL Animal Welfare Unit, the study director (in general the PI of the group) describes the intended experiments in a specific form (Form A).