The aim of the "Core Facility Laboratory Animal Breeding and Husbandry" (CFL) of the Medical University of Vienna is to support scientists in performing animal experiments in the field of biomedical research. Furthermore, CFL provides all requirements for animal breeding and husbandry that animal experiments can be performed within the legal framework of the corresponding national laws. CFL consists of several functional units with different hygiene levels (conventional, specific pathogen-free conditions and husbandry in biological safety levels 2 and 3) for breeding and husbandry of laboratory animals.
The main task of the CFL team with its veterinarians, animal keepers and technical staff is to keep and care for the animals used in the scientific projects of the researchers. Animal husbandry is carried out according to the requirements of the Austrian Animal Experimentation Act following also the 3Rs principles (Reduce-Refine-Replace).
Accredited facility for
- Animal breeding
- Animal husbandry
Staff will assist in all aspects of animal husbandry and care of animals used in scientific projects
- Purchasing, breeding, husbandry, and veterinary care of laboratory animals.
- Advice on and implementation of mouse and rat breeding programs
- Determination of health status and pathogen clearance of mouse and rat strains
- Cryopreservation and rederivation of mouse strains
- Estimation of husbandry costs for research project applications
Additional activities of CFL
- Contract animal husbandry and research
- Apprenticeship (training) program to become an animal care taker
- Internship position for veterinarians for training in laboratory animal science
- Vienna site of the Austrian 3R Center