The Animal Models Unit of the School of Medicine comprises dedicated facilities for the breeding and experimental use of laboratory animals. The unit’s mission is to provide an appropriate environment for the ethical use of laboratory animals in scientific research while supporting advances in the biomedical sciences.

The facilities operate under licenses issued by the Directorate of Veterinary Services of the Region of Crete (EL91-BIObr-05 and EL91-BIOexp-06), in accordance with the applicable Greek legislation (Presidential Decree 56/30.04.2013), European Directive 2010/63/EU, and the guidelines of the Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations (FELASA), adhering to the highest standards of animal welfare.

Since 2012, the Unit has provided training to more than 250 postgraduate students, PhD candidates, and postdoctoral researchers in experimental methodologies involving laboratory animals. During the same period, experimental protocols conducted within the facility have resulted in more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications, including articles published in leading journals such as Cell Metabolism, Nature Microbiology, Molecular Psychiatry, Nature Communications, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), and PLoS Biology.