Oxford University’s new £18 million biomedical science lab has officially opened with the transfer of the first mice into the building.

The lab’s dawn has been fraught with difficulties and delays since work began on its construction in 2003, after it became the target of animal rights protesters.

The building will re-house all the university’s research animals, which will be transferred in phases over the next few months, with the centre expected to become fully operational in mid-2009. It will mainly contain rodents, but will also house fish, frogs, ferrets and primates.

Research on diseases such as HIV, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s will be carried out at the lab.

Alastair Buchan, head of the university’s medical sciences division, says, “The new building represents a significant step forward for biomedical research at Oxford. It will provide an advanced facility for all kinds of ground-breaking work. Animals are only used in our research where no other technique is available, and the university is absolutely committed to replacing animal use wherever possible.”

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BBC: Animal rights campaigners have said they will continue to protest against an animal research centre in Oxford.

PA: A controversial new research facility targeted by animal activists has taken delivery of its first laboratory mice.

Reuters: Oxford University’s controversial new research laboratory, the target of a fierce campaign by animal rights activists, has taken in its first mice for testing.

Independent: The University of Oxford is seeking a permanent exclusion zone around its animal research laboratory, which opened yesterday. A temporary injunction already in place restricts people from demonstrating within a certain radius of its Biomedical Sciences Building but the university wants to make this permanent at a court hearing scheduled for next year.