INFRAFRONTIER quality principles in EMMA archiving and distribution

The European Mouse Mutant Archive (EMMA) has published a new quality framework designed to enhance the archiving and distribution of cryopreserved rodent disease models. This set of ten Quality Principles provides a structured foundation for ensuring the scientific and ethical integrity of rodent strains preserved within EMMA’s distributed network. The framework builds on EMMA’s commitment to high reproducibility, robust metadata curation and adherence to the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement), aligning cryopreservation workflows with international standards and community guidelines. By outlining clear requirements and recommendations — from legislative compliance and animal welfare to FAIR data practices and continuous improvement, the principles aim to support researchers worldwide with high-quality, accessible models for preclinical research. This initiative strengthens the reliability of shared biological resources and reinforces INFRAFRONTIER’s mission to advance disease modelling and ethical animal research.

Original publication:
Ehlich, H., Blease, A., Biju, R. et al. A quality framework for cryopreserved rodent disease models: INFRAFRONTIER quality principles in EMMA archiving and distribution. Mamm Genome 37, 10 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00335-025-10174-4.