Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs

In 1982, Lars Ellegaard started producing the Göttingen minipig™ in Denmark. Ellegaard Forsřgsgrise (Ellegaard Laboratory Pigs) evolved from a farm, breeding specific pathogen free Landrace pigs and conventional Göttingen minipigs™ for the medical industry, to a specialised company producing microbiologically defined Göttingen minipigs™. When the importance of the Göttingen minipig™ as an animal model in biomedical research increased, the growing demand for a small, standardised pig made it possible to rederive the colony and introduce it into a purpose-built full-barrier SPF breeding facility.
 
Today, Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs A/S produces around 3,500 microbiologically defined Göttingen minipigs™ annually, and is among the leading companies developing and producing miniature pigs for biomedical research.  
  
The only two production centres of the Göttingen minipig™ in the world are located in at Dalmose, Denmark, at Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs A/S (production) and at Marshall Frams, North Rose,  USA.

In Göttingen, Germany, at Institute for Genetics and Animal Breeding, genetic research and
development  plus genetic back-up are maintained.

The University of Göttingen is directly involved in the production of the Göttingen Minipig™ at Dalmose, by assuring the genetic quality of the colony by means of selection advice. The microbiological quality is monitored twice a year, according to FELASA recommendations. The Göttingen minipig™ is defined within genetics and microbiology, which makes this animal a reliable model for pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, toxicology, experimental surgery, clinical research and fundamental science.