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.
GrantsEuropean Union (European Regional Development Fund), under NSRF 20142020 European Union Research and Innovation programme Horizon 2020 (INFRAFRONTIER2020Grant) InfrafrontierGR action French state funds through the "Agence Nationale de la Recherche" Czech Academy of Sciences Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic German Federal Ministry of Education and Research UKRI Medical Research Council Ontario Genomics with a Genomics Technology Platforms grant Canadian Foundation for Innovation Major Sciences Initiatives Biocenter Oulu Biocenter Finland Academy of Finland