Virtual laboratory tours
Have you ever wondered what it is like inside an animal testing facility? Do you want to see the reality of animal research and how the animals are looked after? UAR and its members have been opening the doors to the lab, virtually, so that you can see inside some of the most well-known laboratories in the UK, from the comfort of your own home, school, or maybe even the bus!
Working conditions mean that not all research facilities can offer lab tours, but many are now offering virtual tours as an alternative way of letting a wide range of staff and interested members of the public experience the reality of life inside an animal facility. Research laboratories usually operate under strict biological controls to avoid unwanted germs or pathogens entering the lab, making in-person tours difficult to carry out. Virtual tours are not necessarily an easy or inexpensive option, but they hugely expand the opportunities for public engagement and have become valuable aids for teaching and onboarding new staff.
UAR has extensive experience filming within UK laboratories and has put together multiple 360º virtual laboratory tours. If you would like to create a virtual lab tour, whether you are in the UK or beyond, please get in touch at office@uar.org.uk.
www.labanimaltour.org - tours from five of the UK's leading research organisations
The www.labanimaltour.org website features virtual tours filmed by UAR at five high-profile research organisations in the UK. Each tour contains images, videos, and text descriptions detailing the purpose of each area in the laboratory and what these areas are used for.
MRC Harwell Institute
The MRC Harwell Institute is the UK’s national facility for mouse genetics and the use of mouse models for the study of human disease.
View the MRC Harwell Laboratory Tour.
The Pirbright Institute
The Pirbright Institute is a world leading centre of excellence in research and surveillance of virus diseases of farm animals and viruses that spread from animals to humans. The Pirbright Institute specialises in farm animal research and uses cows, sheep, pigs, and other large animal species.
View the Pirbright Institute Laboratory Tour.
The University of Bristol
The University of Bristol carries out research to better understand the fundamental principles of biology, to develop new and better medical treatments for humans and animals. The University of Bristol primarily uses mice, rats, and zebrafish in their research.
View the University of Bristol Laboratory Tour.
The University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is one of the world’s leading centres for biomedical research. Oxford researchers study pressing health problems like cancer, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, autism, depression, and many more diseases that cause suffering and death. The university carries out research using various animal species, but the lab tour focuses on the primate unit where monkeys used in research are housed.
View the University of Oxford Laboratory Tour.
The University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a powerhouse of research and is ranked first in Europe and second in the world for social and environmental impact. At the University of Manchester they carry out research using mice, rats, and sheep to study cancer, heart disease, and many other human illnesses.
View the University of Manchester Laboratory Tour.
Behind the scenes of labanimaltour.org
Find out how we created these tours and what we learned along the way in our 2019 article "A journey to the clean side".
Other UK laboratory tours
The University of Leicester carries out research using various animals including rodents, fish, and rabbits. You can find their laboratory tour at the bottom of the webpage linked above or access the tour directly here.
Virtual laboratory tours from outside of the UK
IRB Barcelona is a biomedical research centre that works to achieve a society free of diseases. They carry out research with the aim of preventing and treating cancer and other diseases linked to ageing.
The German Primate Center GmbH (DPZ)
The German Primate Center GmbH (DPZ) is an independent research institute that provides services to German science. The researchers at the German Primate Center investigate questions like what happens in the brain when we think? How did our language develop? And how can we stop viruses from spreading in the body?
