At the UMCG, experiments using laboratory animals are carried out for the benefit of fundamental and translational research, as well as for educational purposes. These experiments take place at the UMCG’s animal facility, known as the Centrale Dienst Proefdieren (CDP). The UMCG aims for its fundamental and applied research programs to be among the best in the world. We conduct the necessary animal studies with utmost care, ensuring the welfare of lab animals and facilitating optimal execution of the experiments.
The relevance of animal experiments lies in addressing key areas such as healthy aging. Many of our research programs focus on issues like heart diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, cancer, and Parkinson’s disease, which occasionally require animal testing.
We are committed to transparency and have established the website www.proefdierjaarverslagrug.nl to showcase how we conduct animal studies and the considerations we take into account during these experiments. Our goal is to contribute to the social debate about animal experiments, providing objective information for anyone to form an informed opinion.
The aim of the UG and the UMCG is to have top-level fundamental and applied research programmes that are highly appraised worldwide. We wish to conduct the animal studies that are necessary to achieve this goal in the best possible manner, which means providing laboratory animals with optimal care, promoting their welfare, and providing animal experimenters with optimal support.
Sixty-five percent of our animal tests are conducted at the UMCG and 35% at the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), where animal testing takes place in several research institutes.
Animal studies have to comply with strict legislation and regulations. Since 1977, the handling of laboratory animals in the Netherlands has to comply with the Dutch Act on Animals used for Scientific Purposes (Wet op de dierproeven, or Wod in Dutch). In 1985, the Animal Experiments Decree (Dierproevenbesluit in Dutch) was adopted to further describe the requirements. The Act is based on the principle of only allowing animal experiments if there are no alternatives. If researchers are able to conduct their study using, for instance, a computer model or slaughterhouse material, they will not be allowed to use animals for their experiments.
Below you can find all facilities and laboratories where animal experiments are carried out or where experiments are carried out and techniques are being used related to animal testing.
The Central Animal Facility facilitates and offers high-quality support for experimental animal research with optimal promotion of laboratory animal welfare.
For more information, please visit: Central Animal Facility.
The Transgenic Mouse Clinic for Ageing Research offers various gene editing tools to build innovative genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) for biomedical research.
For more information, please visit: Transgenic Mouse Unit.
The MCCA aims to accelerate the development of genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of human cancer and ageing syndromes. These mouse models will be used to develop new therapies against cancer and ageing-related diseases.
For more information, please visit: MCCA.
The Dutch Molecular Pathology Centre provides cutting-edge techniques and extensive expertise in molecular and morphological analyses. Our services include qualified analyses of genetically modified animals and animal models of human diseases.
For more information, please visit: Dutch Molecular Pathology Centre.
We combine small animal imaging modalities to achieve excellent multimodality imaging by sharing expertise and provide one single portal for internal and external researchers.
For more information, please visit: GRONSAI.
We offer ex-situ machine perfusion for organs derived from small animals (mice and rats) as well as large animals (pigs and sheep).
For more information, please visit: Research Organ Preservation and Resuscitation.
Molecular Neurobiology of Ageing, more information about this lab will follow as soon as possible.
Molecular and Cellular Biology, more information about this lab will follow as soon as possible.
