Animal welfare, taking into account the 3Rs principle (see below), is an indispensable prerequisite for successful biomedical research.

MHH is committed to animal welfare at the highest level.

This commitment is ensured by the staff of the Institute of Laboratory Animal Science and Central Animal Laboratory.
We advise scientists on the planning, application and execution of animal experiments.

Nursing and medical care of the animals is provided by highly qualified animal keepers and veterinarians. The qualification of the ZTL and MHH staff is achieved through extensive training and further education.

TheAnimal Welfare Act(TierSchG) and theAnimal Welfare Experimental Animal Ordinance (TierSchVersV) provide the legal basis for working with animals.

The practical implementation of animal welfare is set out in the "3R rule" (W.M. Russel and R.L. Burch, 1959)

• R eplacement: Replacement of animal experiments with alternative methods,
• R eduction: Reduction in the number of animals used for experiments,
• R efinement: optimization of the methods used in order to reduce the burden on animals.

Hannover Medical School has signed:
Declaration in support of Directive 2010/63/EU