The European Mouse Mutant Archive (EMMA) is a not-for-profit repository for the collection, archiving (via cryopreservation) and distribution of relevant mutant strains that are essential for biomedical research. EMMA draws on the expertise of 16 leading research institutes across Europe, including the IGC, in Portugal. 

 

The IGC offers the crucial Germ-Free Service that generates, breeds and houses mice that are free of all microorganisms. These germ-free animals are crucial in studies aimed at understanding the effects of microorganisms on a host, or dissecting the molecular mechanisms underlying the function of the immune system. The germ-free facility of the IGC has generated more than 20 different strains of germ-free mice, requested by researchers from Portugal, Germany, USA, France and the UK.

 

The facility has the capacity to temporarily host scientists wishing to carry out their own research with the mice at the IGC itself. EMMA is part of the Infrafrontier Project, that links two complementary infrastructure networks with the aim of establishing a sustainable research infrastructure for systematic phenotyping, archiving and distribution of mouse models.

 

IGC is one of the Infrafrontier partners, together with research facilities, government departments and funding agencies from 13 European countries, Canada and Israel.