The MRC encourages the archiving and sharing of genetically altered mouse strains as a means of both reducing and refining animal use. The MRC supports a central repository of mouse strains, the MRC Mouse Frozen Embryo and Sperm Archive (FESA) at MRC Harwell. FESA aims to ensure that valuable mouse strains are safeguarded, that the need to maintain colonies of live mice for long periods of time is reduced, and that the significant investment in engineering strains is capitalised upon fully.
Where there may be a need for the repeated creation of pre-existing genetically modified mouse strains, this must be fully justified. Applicants planning to produce genetically modified mouse strains should investigate whether suitable strains are available via FESA or elsewhere before requesting resources for creating new strains.
Applicants planning on creating new genetically altered mouse strains as part of their work should actively consider archiving and sharing these strains via FESA. When archiving and sharing of genetically modified mice is not possible please clearly state in your application the reasons for this.
Contact FESA
Email: fesa@har.mrc.ac.uk