Animal models are widely employed in basic research to test mechanistic hypotheses in a complex biological environment as well as to evaluate the therapeutic potential of candidate compounds in preclinical settings. Rodents, and in particular mice, represent the most common in vivo models for their small size, short lifespan and possibility to manipulate their genome. Over time, a typical laboratory will develop a substantial number of inbred strains and transgenic mouse lines, requiring a substantial effort, in both logistic and economic terms, to maintain an animal colony for research purposes and to safeguard the integrity of results. To meet this need, here we present TopoDB, a robust and extensible web-based platform for the rational management of laboratory animals. TopoDB allows an easy tracking of individual animals within the colony and breeding protocols as well as the convenient storage of both genetic and phenotypic data generated in the different experiments. Altogether, these features facilitate and enhance the design of in vivo research, thus reducing the number of necessary animals and the housing costs. In summary, TopoDB represents a novel valuable tool in modern biomedical research.

中文翻译：

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TopoDB：一种新型的实验动物菌落多功能管理系统

动物模型广泛用于基础研究，以测试复杂生物环境中的机械假设，以及评估候选化合物在临床前环境中的治疗潜力。啮齿动物，尤其是小鼠，是体内最常见的它们体积小、寿命短和操纵基因组的可能性的模型。随着时间的推移，一个典型的实验室将开发出大量的近交系和转基因小鼠品系，需要在物流和经济方面做出大量努力，以维持用于研究目的的动物群体并保护结果的完整性。为了满足这一需求，我们在这里展示了 TopoDB，这是一个强大且可扩展的基于网络的平台，用于实验室动物的合理管理。TopoDB 允许在群体和育种协议中轻松跟踪单个动物，并方便地存储在不同实验中生成的遗传和表型数据。总之，这些特征促进和增强了体内设计。研究，从而减少必要动物的数量和住房成本。总之，TopoDB 代表了现代生物医学研究中一种新的有价值的工具。