Our research
We conduct a number of licensed research procedures on animals each year, the majority of which involve mice and rats.
The infographic below shows the number of procedures carried out by the University every year and on what species.
Research involving animals carried out at The University of Manchester requiring a Home Office Licence
At The University of Manchester, our research covers a wide spectrum of disease in the UK including cardiology, stroke, dementia and cancer.
Overview of diseases
Currently:
- 7.6 million people living with a heart or circulatory disease in the UK (British Heart Foundation)
- 168,000 deaths from cancer in 2025 in the UK (Macmillan Cancer Support)
- 982,000 people who have dementia in 2025 (Alzheimer’s Society)
- More than 100,000 strokes in the UK each year; that is around one stroke every five minutes (Stroke Association)
Overview of animals involved in research
- 43,075 mice
- 15,046 mice (Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute)
- 16,717 zebra fish
- 1,807 rats
- 1,977 amphibians
- 12 guinea pigs
- 81 sheep
- 12 gerbils
- 221 rhabdomys
Figures represent all research involving animals at The University of Manchester carried out under Home Office Licence for 2025.
Find out about our research involving animals in previous years on our data archive page.
Non-technical summaries
We publish all non-technical summaries of current licenses granted to The University of Manchester researchers under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
Please note that the links below direct to external PDF documents. These may not be fully accessible or compatible with assistive technologies such as screen readers. We are working to improve accessibility and provide alternative formats where possible.
- Generation, breeding and maintenance of genetically altered mice (PDF, 78.8 KB)
- Neurovascular breakdown in dementia risk and progression (PDF, 103.4 KB)
- Understanding and Improving Peripheral Nerve Regeneration (PDF, 79.5 KB)
- Understanding visual and circadian control of physiology and behaviour (PDF, 83.0 KB)
- Neuronal Mechanisms of Mammalian Reproductive and Parental Performance (PDF, 174.8 KB)
- Using light to control mammalian physiology (PDF, 93.4 KB)
- Understanding the regulation of behaviour and physiology by genes and nutrients. (PDF, 94.4 KB)
- Regulation of inflammation in tissue repair and regeneration (PDF, 80.3 KB)
- Pulmonary Inflammation and the Circadian Clock (PDF, 90.3 KB)
- Novel methods for cell type-specific drug delivery (PDF, 84.2 KB)
- Investigating how factors outside the cell ('the extracellular matrix') control immune responses. (PDF, 92.5 KB)
- Further development and validation of animal models for neurodevelopmental disorders with a focus on mechanisms and testing therapeutic interventions. (PDF, 81.0 KB)
- Circadian regulation of behaviour, physiology and metabolism (PDF, 89.9 KB)
- Understanding regulation of cartilaginous tissue formation, joint disease and regeneration (PDF, 84.0 KB)
- What Drives Melanoma Spread and Testing New Treatments for Melanoma and Ovarian Cancer (PDF, 82.8 KB)
- Understanding immune responses to complex vaccines (PDF, 83.8 KB)
- Neuroimmunometabolism: Understanding Brain-Body Communication in Health and Disease (PDF, 102.1 KB)
- Mechanisms regulating local and systemic immunity in intestinal health and inflammation (PDF, 89.2 KB)
- Improving phage therapy to combat multidrugresistant infections (PDF, 92.4 KB)
- Immune control of parasite infection and tissue injury (PDF, 99.3 KB)
- Fish Physiology in the Anthropocene (PDF, 103.4 KB)
- Long term effects of in vitro fertilisation on the maternal and fetal cardiovascular system (PDF, 85.6 KB)
- Long-term effects of a reduction in fetal oxygen supply on the maternal and fetal cardiovascular system (PDF, 82.4 KB)
- Understanding disease mechanisms in frontotemporal dementia and motor neuron disease (PDF, 83.6 KB)
- Anti-cancer therapy validation (PDF, 85.5 KB)
- Brain network changes in a rodent model of schizophrenia (PDF, 96.0 KB)
- Can we modify the severity of inherited cardiac conditions? (PDF, 101 KB)
- Examining new ways to understand and treat dementia (PDF, 90.5 KB)
- Improving outcomes in complicated pregnancies (PDF, 85.4 KB)
- Immuno-regulation during parasitic worm infection (PDF, 90.3 KB)
- Inflammation in parasitic worm infection and allergic disease (PDF, 100 KB)
- Investigating developmental neural stem cell development to better understand congenital disorders (PDF, 85.2 KB)
- Mechanisms and therapeutics for brain disease (PDF, 86.2 KB)
- Modulation of wound healing and scarring (PDF, 83.7 KB)
- Parasitic helminth infections: mechanisms of immunity and immunoregulation (PDF, 99.1 KB)
- Pathology and treatment of lysosomal and related disorders (PDF, 83.4 KB)
- Role of microglia and blood-brain barrier in dementia (PDF, 92.1 KB)
- Understanding the role of systemic inflammation in cardiovascular disease and obesity (PDF, 83.3 KB)
- Understanding visual processing in freely moving animals (PDF, 76.9 KB)
- Using RNAs to investigate the mechanisms of skin repair (PDF, 77.5 KB)
- Targeting parasitic helminths with drugs (PDF, 98.5 KB)
- The interactions of innate and adaptive immunity (PDF, 81.8 KB)
- Biocompatibility and pharmacology of novel nanotechnologies (PDF, 84.4 KB)
- Immune regulation of health and disease in mucosal barrier tissues (PDF, 91.9 KB)
- Mechanisms of fungal infection and drug resistance (PDF, 94.9 KB)
- Molecular basis of infection-induced sickness behaviour (PDF, 79.5 KB)
- Nanotechnologies for cancer treatment, diagnosis and monitoring (PDF, 88.0 KB)
- Nanotechnology and nanomedicine for detection and treatment of brain disorders (PDF, 87.6 KB)
- Regulation of Basement Membrane Function in Health and Disease (PDF, 86.9 KB)
- Repair and resolution of cutaneous wounds and inflammation (PDF, 86.2 KB)
- The regulation of whole-body metabolism across the life course (PDF, 91.7 KB)
- Studying the biology of brain tumours (PDF, 88.3 KB)
- Control of matrix homeostasis in health and disease (PDF, 81.7 KB)
- Understanding serosal repair and internal scarring (PDF, 94.6 KB)
- Zebrafish models to investigate disease processes associated with brain haemorrhage (PDF, 81.8 KB)
- Identifying the molecular mechanisms of appendage and organ regeneration in zebrafish (PDF, 83.4 KB)
- Animal models of fibrotic diseases (PDF, 104 KB)
- Biocompatibility of a prototype fully implantable auditory implant microphone (PDF, 82 KB)
- Circadian regulation of chronic inflammation (PDF, 103 KB)
- Circadian rhythms in health and disease of the musculoskeletal system (PDF, 99 KB)
- Genetically altered rodent generation, breeding and maintenance (PDF, 78 KB)
- Imaging and radiation treatment of cancer (PDF, 91 KB)
- Immune and inflammatory mechanisms in cerebrovascular disease (PDF, 103 KB)
- Immune cross-talk between the oral and distant mucosal barriers (PDF, 94 KB)
- Neural basis of tactile behaviour (PDF, 72 KB)
- New therapeutics for inflammatory bowel conditions (PDF, 98 KB)
- Studying cognitive function in animal models of brain disorders (PDF, 94 KB)
- The link between diabetes, leaky gut and severity of acute pancreatitis (PDF, 113 KB)
- The mechanisms underpinning ‘steroid’ (glucocorticoid) development of obesity and diabetes (PDF, 86 KB)
- Treatment of short and long term outcomes of viral lung infection (PDF, 86 KB)
- Understanding endogenous protective mechanisms in osteoarthritis; towards a new approach for disease (PDF, 101 KB)
- Cell therapy for muscular dystrophy with genetically corrected cells (PDF, 74.2 KB)
- Development, Optimisation and Validation of Small Animal Imaging (PDF, 79.4 KB)
- Dynamics in tissue mechanics, gene transcription and signalling during tissue formation and regeneration (PDF, 83.9 KB)
- Factors Regulating the Skin Immune System in Health and Disease (PDF, 95.6 KB)
- Genetic and external influences on regulation of the immune system (PDF, 95.2 KB)
- Pathology and Treatment of Lysosomal and Related Diseases and Brain Tumours (PDF, 94.3 KB)
- Cellular homeostasis and brain development (PDF, 96KB)
- Circadian regulation of chronic inflammation (PDF, 103kB)
- Genetic analysis of metastatic cancer (PDF, 89KB)
- Immunopathology of experimental blood-stage malaria (PDF, 99KB)
- Investigating how brain immune responses drive behavioural symptoms associated with mild and repeated traumatic brain injury (PDF, 96KB)
- Modelling fibrosis in multiple organs to understand disease (PDF, 92KB)
- Modelling gene therapy for congenital bladder dysfunction (PDF, 94KB)
- Modulating the immune response in cancer (PDF, 89KB)
- New therapeutics for inflammatory bowel conditions (PDF, 98KB)
- Preclinical evaluation of cancer therapeutics (PDF, 100KB)
- Understanding the mechanisms and pathophysiology of heart failure and atrial fibrillation (PDF, 128KB)
- Use of genetically modified biological assemblies to generate improved vaccines (PDF, 96KB)
- Understanding endogenous protective mechanisms in osteoarthritis; towards a new approach for disease management (PDF, 101KB)
- Vascular calcification in kidney dysfunction (PDF, 91KB)
- Assessing novel treatments for endometriosis (PDF, 98KB)
- Circadian regulation of pulmonary immunity (PDF, 103KB)
- Development and validation of animal models for neurodevelopmental disorders (PDF, 89KB)
- Extracellular matrix mediated control of immune cell recruitment and positioning in health and disease (PDF, 89KB)
- Genes and essential nutrient influences on behaviour (PDF, 96KB)
- Mechanisms of diabetes-associated heart disease (PDF, 70KB)
- Models of tissue injury, regenerative repair, and reconstruction in the limb and appendages (PDF, 88KB)
- Peripheral nerve regeneration (PDF, 82KB)
- Type 2 immunity in infection and maintenance of tissue health (PDF, 96KB)
- Understanding the role of the body clock in behaviour and physiology (PDF, 94KB)
- Generation, breeding and maintenance of genetically altered rodents (PDF, 96KB)
- Understanding vision and developing therapies for blindness (PDF, 96KB)
- A study on treatment and penetrance of inherited cardiac conditions (PDF, 365KB)
- Anorexia and cachexia in aging and disease (PDF, 658KB)
- Anti-cancer therapy validation (PDF, 541KB)
- Brain networks for memory & executive function in health and disease (PDF, 629KB)
- Brainstem circuits controlling gut-brain communication (PDF, 670KB)
- Cardiac conduction system in health and disease (PDF, 698KB)
- Central regulation of appetite and body weight (PDF, 641KB)
- Control of arousal and autonomic output from the brain (PDF, 647KB)
- Defining immunoregulation during parasitic helminth infection (PDF, 708KB)
- Devices and therapies for cardiovascular interventions and diseases (PDF, 303KB)
- Establishment and healthy maintenance of blood systems (PDF, 346KB)
- Evaluation of developmental and therapeutic potential for human embryos and embryonic stem cells (PDF, 655KB)
- Fish Physiology in an era of climate change (PDF, 657KB)
- How do sinus node disease maintain atrial fibrillation; a mechanistic study of electrical and structural remodelling (PDF, 700KB)
- Immunoregulation during parasitic helminth infection (2019) (PDF, 376KB)
- Inflammation in arterial disease and co-morbidities (PDF, 684KB)
- Inflammatory factors and their effect on memory in Alzheimer’s and aging (PDF, 445KB)
- Mechanisms of breast development and tumorigenesis (PDF, 662KB)
- Novel targets for antiepileptic drug design (PDF, 636KB)
- Radiolabelled molecules for cancer imaging and therapy (PDF, 669KB)
- Regulation miR-29 targets in wound repair (PDF, 361KB)
- Regulation of inflammation in wound repair (2019) (PDF, 666KB)
- Studies of cancer inflammation and immunity in vivo (PDF, 676KB)
- Type 2 inflammation in health and disease (PDF, 653KB)
- Zebrafish models for investigating cancer formation and progression, immune responses and immunotherapy (PDF, 650KB)
- Dysregulation of Skin Homeostasis (PDF, 110KB)
- Identifying New Therapies to Prevent Internal Scarring (PDF, 231KB)
- New Therapeutic Approaches for Inflammatory Joint Disorders (PDF, 128KB)
- Regulation of Glomerular Barrier Function in Health & Disease (PDF, 222KB)
- The Role & Regulation of Reactive Oxygen Species in Development & Regeneration (PDF, 245KB)
- Understanding the Role of Inflammation in Dementia (PDF, 186KB)
- Zebrafish Models of Haemorrhagic Stroke (PDF, 104KB)
- Designing Therapeutic & Diagnostic Nanotechnologies for Medicine (PDF, 2.2MB)
- Determining Important Regulatory Pathways that Control Immune Responses to Infection (2018) (PDF, 142KB)
- Drug Discovery for Parasitic Helminths (PDF, 155KB)
- Advanced Education in Pharmacology (PDF, 200KB)
- Gene Function in Cardiovascular Disease (PDF, 139KB)
- Glucocorticoids and stress in the development of diabetes and obesity (PDF, 272KB)
- New Therapeutic Approaches for Inflammatory Disorders (PDF, 220KB)
- Regulation of glomerular barrier function in health and disease (PDF, 266KB)
- Evaluation of cognitive function in animal models (PDF, 267KB)
- Postnatal light effects on circadian function (PDF, 106KB)
- Understanding inflammasome dependent inflammation (PDF, 190KB)
- Neural basis of tactile behaviour (PDF, 149KB)
- Cell therapy for diseases of striated muscle (PDF, 151KB)
- Maintenance of barrier immunity in health and disease (PDF, 386KB)
- The role of inflammation in cerebrovascular disease (PDF, 429KB)
- Understanding inflammation in dementia (PDF, 183KB)
- Determining Important Regulatory Pathways that Control Immune Responses to Infection (2017) (PDF, 427KB)
- Immunogenicity of biologics (PDF, 371KB)
- Maternal fasting and offspring health (PDF, 221KB)
- Treatment and Pathology of Neurological Diseases (PDF, 197KB)
- Modulating inflammation in the GI tract (PDF, 68KB)
- Circadian mechanisms underlying organ rejection (PDF, 193KB)
- PKCα and vascular calcification in kidney dysfunction (PDF, 181KB)
- Skin homeostasis and wound healing (PDF, 376KB)
- Regenerative medicine therapy for renal injury (PDF, 179KB)
- Zebrafish: Development, physiology and disease modelling (PCF, 105KB)
- Modelling therapies for renal malformations (PDF, 191KB)
- Extracellular matrix in development and disease (PDF, 85KB)
- Immunopathology of experimental malaria infection (PDF, 179KB)
- Understanding mechanisms of fibrosis (PDF, 211KB)
- Preclinical evaluation of cancer therapeutics (PDF, 68KB)
- Understanding vision developing therapies (PDF 50KB)
- Development of new models of FTLD-MND (PDF, 81KB)
- Genetic analysis of tumour development (2016) (PDF, 68KB)
- Healing mechanisms of thermal injury wounds (PDF, 45KB)
- Pathophysiology of heart failure (PDF, 52KB)
- Type 2 immunity in infection and tissue homeostasis (PDF, 50KB)
- Circadian Regulation of Processes Underlying Chronic Inflammation (PDF, 117KB)
- Precursor cell therapies for kidney disease (PDF, 84KB)
- Genetic analysis of tumour development (2015) (PDF, 81KB)
- NKT cells and related immunity in health and disease (PDF, 89KB)
- Models of tissue repair, reconstruction and regeneration of the limb (PDF, 46KB)
- Circadian control of behaviour and metabolism (PDF, 47KB)
- Proteolytic cleavage of the LDL receptor (PDF, 62KB)
- The contribution of mast cells and their mediators in inflammatory skin diseases (PDF, 48KB)
- Inflammation and arterial disease (PDF, 48KB)
- Animal models of neurodevelopment disorders (PDF, 53KB)
- Blood flow and tissue oxygenation in rodents (PDF, 50KB)
- Designing a localised drug delivery system to treat endometriosis (PDF, 60KB)
- Novel vitrectomy cutter project: Phase II animal surgery study (PDF, 44KB)
- Pregnancy complications: targeted interventions (PDF, 64KB)
- The long-term effects of prenatal hypoxia on cardiomyocyte function (PDF, 58KB)
- Microenvironment signalling in cancer (PDF, 46KB)
- The role of copper in diabetes and ageing (PDF, 50KB)
- Cancer biology including host immunity in Zebra Fish (PDF, 45KB)
- Development and refinement of Small Animal imaging (PDF, 54KB)
- Immunoregulation during parasitic helminth infection (2014) (PDF, 47KB)
- Regulation of inflammation in wound repair (2014) (PDF, 59KB)
- Regulation of pituitary physiology (PDF, 42KB)