Systemic Phenotyping


Systemic phenotyping is the comprehensive functional and molecular characterisation of mouse lines in all relevant organ systems and disease areas. The mouse clinics partnering in Infrafrontier use cutting-edge technologies, among them the latest in vivo imaging techniques and non-invasive methods, to reveal the role of the genes and environment on development, morphology, physiology, metabolism, behaviour and pathology. The efficient use of modern analytic technology and data management tools provides novel insights into gene function and creates basis for new therapeutic approaches and disease prevention strategies.


Thousands of new mouse lines are generated by individual laboratories across Europe, and by large-scale mouse mutagenesis programmes. This creates an increasing demand for systemic phenotyping, which cannot be accommodated by the capacities currently available in Europe.


Infrafrontier Project therefore aims at establishing a sustainable research infrastructure that provides access to systemic phenotyping. Infrafrontier Project builds on the successful EC programmes EUMORPHIA and EUMODIC, which have created the basis for the pan-European cooperation of mouse clinics based on common standards for mouse phenotyping. They also lead to the establishment of the Europhenome database that provides access to the phenotype data created in EUMODIC.


The Infrafrontier consortium comprises the leading phenotyping facilities from Europe and Canada:


Operating facilities:

Emerging facilities:


Last revision December 2010