Journal Article
INFRAFRONTIER quality principles in systemic phenotyping
Hilke Ehlich; Heather L. Cater; Ann M. Flenniken; Isabelle Goncalves Da Cruz; Anne-Marie Mura; Vasileios Ntafis; Michael Raess; Mohammed Selloum; Claudia Stoeger; Sarka Suchanova; Reetta Vuolteenaho; Steve D. M. Brown; Yann Hérault; Reetta Hinttala; Martin Hrabě de Angelis; George Kollias; Dimitris L. Kontoyiannis; Bernard Malissen; Colin McKerlie; Radislav Sedláček; Sara E. Wells; Ana Zarubica; Jan Rozman; Tania Sorg
Mammalian Genome · Vol. 33, Issue 1 · pp. 120-122 · 2022
Abstract
Improving reproducibility and replicability in preclinical research is a widely discussed and pertinent topic, especially regarding ethical responsibility in animal research. INFRAFRONTIER, the European Research Infrastructure for the generation, phenotyping, archiving, and distribution of model mammalian genomes, is addressing this issue by developing internal quality principles for its different service areas, that provides a quality framework for its operational activities. This article introduces the INFRAFRONTIER Quality Principles in Systemic Phenotyping of genetically altered mouse models. A total of 11 key principles are included, ranging from general requirements for compliance with guidelines on animal testing, to the need for well-trained personnel and more specific standards such as the exchange of reference lines. Recently established requirements such as the provision of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data are also addressed. For each quality principle, we have outlined the specific context, requirements, further recommendations, and key references.