Producing and maintaining the right model for your project

IERP combines rodent and fish production, breeding and housing with in vivo study and functional phenotyping capabilities. This organisation helps anticipate project requirements from cohort establishment onwards and maintain continuity between the model produced, its environment and its experimental use.

Depending on the species and project, animals can be produced, bred or received in environments suited to their health status, genetic characteristics and study constraints.

Animal production as an integral part of the project

Animal production is considered together with the animals’ intended experimental use.

Several parameters can be considered during project preparation:

• species and model characteristics
• animal origin
• health status
• genetic status
• required numbers
• target age, sex or genotype
• cohort production timeline
• planned experimental conditions
• any GMO or containment constraints

Planning ahead helps adapt the production strategy to the study’s actual needs and limit incompatibilities between breeding and experimentation.

Rodents: breeding, cohorts and health statuses

The rodent facility produces, breeds and houses mouse, rat and hamster models according to capacity and project requirements.

It provides environments supporting different health statuses and prepares animals for studies under conventional or SPF (specific pathogen-free) conditions and/or at A2 containment level.

Depending on the project, the team can contribute to:

• maintaining and monitoring a strain
• organising matings
• scheduling cohort production
• selecting animals with the required characteristics
• ensuring health monitoring and traceability
• preparing transfer to an experimental phase

The facility has substantial mouse production and housing capacity and maintains numerous genetically modified strains.

→ Explore rodent models

Fish: from production to the experimental model

The aquaculture facility produces and rears trout, carp and zebrafish in environments suited to the biological requirements of each species.

Its capabilities support work at different developmental stages and the preparation of animals for experimental studies.

Depending on the project, support may include:

• incubation of eggs received from INRAE or private fish farms
• fry production
• line maintenance
• cohort establishment
• adaptation of rearing conditions
• animal preparation before experimentation
• health monitoring and traceability

→ Explore trout and carp models

→ Explore the zebrafish model

Genetically modified models

IERP has capabilities for producing, breeding, housing and experimenting with genetically modified animals.

The model’s genetic status is considered from project preparation onwards to adapt breeding, housing and, where applicable, experimental procedures.

→ Ask us about a line or model

Transfer, introduction and health status

Receiving animals from another establishment requires prior assessment of compatibility with the health conditions of the relevant facility.

For new rodent strains, the assessment considers the strain’s characteristics and health certificates or reports covering the previous two years.

This approach helps protect:

• the health status of colonies
• animals already present
• the robustness of ongoing studies
• the continuity of experimental activities

Receiving strains derived from cryopreserved material or embryo transfer can also be considered when compatible with the project and health requirements.

From breeding to experimentation

Where relevant, animals produced or housed at IERP can then be included directly in a study conducted within its experimental facilities.

This continuity links several stages within one project:

The aim is to reduce discontinuities between model preparation and use, and to consider experimental requirements and expected measurements as early as possible.

Anticipating your project’s needs

Animal production often requires substantial advance planning.

For an initial assessment, it helps to specify:

• the model or line
• the intended animal origin
• the required numbers
• the main cohort characteristics
• your preferred timeline
• the intended experimental use

These elements do not all need to be finalised: the team can help clarify requirements during scoping.