The German Mouse Clinic (GMC), headed by director Martin Hrabe de Angelis, Valerie Gailus-Durner and Helmut Fuchs, had invited the GV-SOLAS visitors to a satellite workshop in its facilities at Helmholtz Center Munich (HMGU). 50 of them had the opportunity to explore one of the leading mouse clinics in Europe – and were fully satisfied. The team around GMC’s scientific and technical head Helmut Fuchs introduced their guests to some of its specific activities: behavioral phenotyping, clinical diagnostics and the application of state-of-the-art imaging technologies. The GMC is collaborating with hundreds of biomedical research centers in Europe and worldwide.
GV-SOLAS, the German Society for Laboratory Animal Research, is Europe´s oldest and largest association of animal research experts of all kind –scientists, veterinary doctors, animal keepers, and operators of animal facilities. Its annual meeting 2018 was held on 12 to 14 September in Munich.
An important part of the information presented to the visitors were the close ties that connect the GMC with many other mouse clinics in Europe and beyond through their involvement in the European research infrastructure INFRAFRONTIER and the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium IMPC. Many of the visiting experts heard about these important international efforts for the first time. They were surprised what an important role they are playing in current biomedical research worldwide, based on the progress in the genetic research of human diseases using mouse and rat models.
The visitors were deeply impressed by the high professional standards GMC and its INFRAFRONTIER partners have achieved in the international standardisation of their phenotyping processes and the data they can provide to the biomedical research community. Several of them assured that they would carry home their new knowledge and discuss with their colleagues the options for further engagement with the GMC and INFRAFRONTIER.