The University of Hyderabad (UoH) has established a new Animal Facility to promote experimental research.

This facility, one of the largest in the country has been created to cater to the needs of research investigators working with small animal models like rodents and rabbits.

“In addition to meeting the needs of the UoH, the Animal House can be outsourced to othe research institutes and corporates too,” says M Bramanandam, Coordinator.

Already, BioNest, a biotech incubator on the campus has evinced interest.

“The Rs 6 cr facility has a built up area of 1501 square metre, spread over two floors and has 63 rooms to house the animals. Additionally, it has provision to rear and undertake experiments with other animal models like insects and fishes,” he said.

The holding capacity of animal house is nearly 12,000 that include rats, mice, rabbits and genetically modified transgenic mice/immuno compromised animals.In short, 5 different features for research offered will be mouse & rats; mosquitoes breeding; Insect related work; Silkworm rearing and studies; Fisheries and also transgenic, Bramanandam explained.

The University plans to tap the potential to generate revenues through outsourcing, especially to research institutes and Pharma companies as small scale trials and animal related work can be done.

Vice Chancellor Appa Rao said that the advanced Animal House Facility will provide an opportunity to perform cutting edge research that will facilitate the investigators to publish in high impact journals as in vivo models (animals) provide better answers to several biomedical/health care related issues that cannot be directly addressed in humans.

Animal facilities

In Hyderabad itself, the National Animal Resources Facility (NARF) has been established as a separate Institute under the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) in Turkapally in the Genome Valley area.

The facility has got huge funding from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT). The erstwhile Animal Facility of the National Institute of Nutrition(NIN), Hyderabad, has been shifted along with staff to the NARF. It provides extensive research, testing and breeding facilities.

Similarly, several national laboratories also have their own captive facilities..

However, animal trials have been meeting stiff opposition from human rights activists and a slow migration to animal models for research has been the trend in many developed nations.

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