New services provided to the scientific community

GenoPHEnix will provide new phenotyping services for livestock and fish to more accurately develop methods, that fully align farm animal science with the 3R principles.

It will enhance the harmonization of phenotyping procedures in vivo by developing and evaluating innovative and non-invasive methodologies for phenotyping animals using biomarkers, proxies, imaging techniques and mathematical modelling of biological systems. The use of in vitro cellular models will provide the ability to validate the hypotheses generated by in vivo studies and to perform exploratory investigations (e.g., in vitro forward genetic screening of host responses to pathogens and nutrients) that would not be ethically and/or economically sustainable in vivo, and thereby contributing to achieve the 3R (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) principle. 

GenoPHEnix will provide access to genome and phenome data in farmed animals to consolidate farmed animal research efforts and minimise redundancy across Europe.

The common data infrastructure will enable comprehensive access to all relevant datasets. This includes both genomic and phenotypic data, and all associated metadata relating to the animals and samples collected and how and where they are stored. This collaborative effort will also require input from private sector stakeholders, especially regarding the management of access to commercial data.

GenoPHEnix will provide access to bio-samples, cellular models and original genetic resources for farmed animal species.

This will allow testing biochemical perturbations and genetic modifications (i.e. genome editing, that is increasingly used for fundamental research on farmed animals).

GenoPHEnix will provide training and education services on the range of services offered:

1) Deep and large-scale multispecies phenotyping with a particular focus on 3R principles implementation,
2) Utilization of genome and phenome data, and
3) Bio-banking, utilization of cell models and organoids.

Training and education services will also focus on all relevant ethical aspects related to farmed animal science research from cell to herd level with a multispecies approach.

GenoPHEnix will bring together communities of researchers from academia, including from institutions and countries that are not able to develop highly advanced facilities, as well as private sector animal breeders, animal health companies and other market actors in the agri and aqua sectors. The large range of services offered will allow the development of new combined or integrated services to study genome to phenome, and GxE interactions.