The following are some examples of medical or scientific progress achieved through the use of animals:
- Scientists collaborate to reduce number of animals needed for research
- Giving robots a change of heart
- Itchy inflammation of Mosquito bites helps virus replicate
- Supressing repair protein could be key to treating brain tumours
- Common cold virus could help fight liver cancer and hepatitis.
Summaries of our research projects
The University carries out research to improve human health and to further our knowledge of other species. Examples of our research projects which have been granted by the Home Office are in the following bullet list. Each project is licensed for up to five years.
You can read general summaries and a more detailed document explaining the programme of work of current projects operating at the University as they become available.
- Angiogenesis in health and disease
- Brainstem and spinal cord circuits
- Calcium permeable channels and their associated mechanisms and therapeutic potential
- Cryopreservation, breeding and maintenance of genetically altered mice as a service
- Decellularised biomaterials for homologous use in urinary bladder autoaugmentation
- Detecting hidden biomarkers to investigate and diagnose diabetic vascular disease
- Epidemiology of parasite infections in wild bird populations
- Establishment of early pregnancy
- Evaluation of innovative, small medical devices for improving current diagnostic and interventional medical procedures
- Gene function in tumorigenesis
- Generation of antibodies for the study of plant polysaccharides
- Immune and biological therapies for cancer
- Immune cell mechanisms in cancer and infection
- Immune responses to infection and during inflammation
- Immuno-virotherapy for haematological malignancies and metastatic disease
- Investigating cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiac remodelling
- In vivo function of proto-oncogenes in B-lymphocytes
- Linking immunity, inflammation, regeneration and cancer
- Mechanisms controlling calcium dyshomeostasis in malignant hyperthermia susceptible mice
- Metabolic functions of insulin signalling and resistance in the brain
- Modulation of wound healing
- Mouse models for tumour stem cells and anti-tumour efficacy studies
- Multisensory integration - olfaction and metabolism
- Neural control of sensorimotor and autonomic function in health and neurological conditions
- Neurological disorders: mechanisms and therapies
- New treatments for glioma
- Peripheral gate in somatosensory system
- Preclinical models of brain tumours
- Regulation of V(D)J Recombination, Antibody Generation and Transcription
- The function of key proteins in T cell signalling and disease
- The generation, maintenance and breeding of genetically altered mice as a service
- The influence of metabolic disturbances on platelet function, thrombosis and vascular inflammation
- The mechanics and energetics of locomotion in birds
- The molecular basis of cardio-metabolic disease
- Validating computer models of mastication.
Our commitments
The University of Leeds has signed up to the Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) guidelines, a 20-point checklist for researchers. The guidelines are designed to improve the design, analysis and reporting of research using animals and maximise the information published so that unnecessary research is avoided.
The University is also a signatory to the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK. The Concordat commits organisations involved in animal research to greater clarity about when, how and why we use animals in research and to enhance communication with the media and the public about their work using animals.
Find out more about our commitments: