The NARF provides resources, collaborative expertise and advice for avian biology research, including genome engineering technologies, immunology, host-pathogen interactions, poultry welfare, physiology and behaviour, developmental biology and genetics.
Our mission is to improve the health and welfare of poultry, to benefit global food security and human health.
NARF maintains a range of reporter lines and facilities for gene editing of chickens.
NARF houses a range of chicken lines and Japanese quail, relevant to poultry production and with defined genetic characteristics.
Specified pathogen free (SPF) facility
NARF has a SPF unit that houses inbred and closed outbred chicken lines that are guaranteed free of specific pathogens and are particularly suitable for immunology research.
Find out more information about the use of animals in research at the University of Edinburgh.
Research conducted using resources supplied by the NARF is diverse, encompassing immunology, poultry welfare and developmental biology.
NARF News
- Apr 1st 2021: Inside-out mini-guts aid research into poultry
- Mar 4th 2021: Study reveals complexities governing sex of birds
- Jan 29th 2021: Surrogate cockerels and hens produce donor breed chicks
- Jan 12th 2021: Genetic insights could help tackle food bug
- Sept 3rd 2020: Surrogacy method to aid welfare in poultry research
Explore the scientific discoveries and broader impacts of research made possible with the NARF's resources.
Please contact us for further details about our poultry lines, for ordering chicks and eggs, or to develop collaborative research.