International Mammalian Genome Society

The 15th International Mouse Genome Conference (2001)

Table of Contents * Complex Genetics * Developmental Genetics * Gene Annotation * Gene Discovery * Genome Sequencing * Functional Genomics * Mutagenesis * Presentations * Verne Chapman Memorial Lecture

POSTER 135 - MRC HARWELL HOME OFFICE LICENCING DATABASE

Mr Jerome Jones
Medical Research Council
Informatics
Harwell
Oxfordshire
OX11 0RD
UK

Co-Authors: Rachael Selley, Louise Harman, Mark Strivens
Institutions: Medical Research Council, Harwell

Compliance to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 is a crucial aspect of all work carried out within UK animal research establishments. A database and end user interface has been designed to aid personal and project licence holders access to licencing data, within the MRC Harwell Mammalian Genetics Unit and UK Mouse Genome Centre.

The user interface has been designed using Java as a stand-alone application for installation on the machines within the animal facility.  Security aspects of data storage and data access have been incorporated at every stage.

Due to the nature of the relationships that exist between techniques on a personal licence and procedures on a project licence, and licence attributes such as secondary availability, the underlying database structure is complex. This complexity is invisible to the end user.  The user interface has been developed to be as intuitive as possible and provide easy access to data that has previously only been available in hardcopy format.

Further development of this system will form an important part of the development of software to be used within the MRC Mary Lyon Centre on the Harwell campus.  Ensuring recording of procedures and subsequent HO returns can be automated, and tightening of Home Office project licence compliance.