The reproducibility of research using laboratory animals requires reliable management of their quality, in particular of their genetics, health and environment, all of which contribute to their phenotypes. The point at which these biological materials are transferred between researchers is particularly sensitive, as it may result in a loss of integrity of the animals and/or their documentation. Here, we describe the various aspects of laboratory animal quality that should be confirmed when sharing rodent research models. We also discuss how repositories of biological materials support the scientific community to ensure the continuity of the quality of laboratory animals. Both the concept of quality and the role of repositories themselves extend to all exchanges of biological materials and all networks that support the sharing of these reagents.

Czech Centre for Phenogenomics Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Vestec Czech Republic

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology National Centre for Biotechnology Madrid and CIBERER ISCIII Madrid Spain

Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology Italian National Research Council Monterotondo Scalo Rome Italy

LGC Sport and Specialised Analytical Services Fordham UK

Neuroscience Center and Laboratory Animal Center Helsinki Institute of Life Science University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland

PHENOMIN Institut Clinique de la Souris CELPHEDIA CNRS INSERM Université de Strasbourg Illkirch Graffenstaden 67404 Strasbourg France

The Centre for Phenogenomics The Hospital for Sick Children Toronto ON Canada

The Mary Lyon Centre Medical Research Council Harwell Harwell Campus Didcot OX11 0RD Oxon UK

Wellcome Sanger Institute Wellcome Genome Campus Hinxton Cambridge UK

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