The National Rodent and Leporid Laboratory Animal Resource Center (here in after referred to as the "Resource Center") traces its origins to the Shanghai Experimental Animal Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, established in January 1965. It is one of the three major experimental animal centers affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1985, it pioneered the construction of the country's first large-scale SPF-grade laboratory animal production facility. Approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Center established the "Shanghai Branch of the National Rodent Laboratory Animal Seed Center" in February 1998, and in May 2010, the "National Leporid Laboratory Animal Seed Center" was also established. In 2019, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Finance approved the integration of the Shanghai Branch of the National Rodent Laboratory Animal Seed Center and the National Leporid Laboratory Animal Seed Center to form the "National Science and Technology Resources Sharing Service Platform — National Rodent and Leporid Laboratory Animal Resource Center." The Center is supported by the Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

As one of China's leading breeding institutions for experimental animals, the Resource Center is committed to serving the "Yangtze River Economic Belt" and the "Belt and Road" initiative by promoting scientific and technological innovation in laboratory animals and contributing to social development. Its development is aligned with national priorities and economic growth, focusing on the collection, preservation, and sharing of rodent and leporid animal resources. The Center has been supplying over half of the country's standard strain rodents continuously.

The Center encompasses 6,380 square meters of experimental animal facilities and boasts a multidisciplinary research and technical service team of 40 personnel. It maintains a daily supply system for more than ten strains of mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, and golden hamsters, with the capacity for large, stable, and ongoing provision. Additionally, it conserves nearly 30 other strains of live experimental animals, enabling quick response and supply capabilities. The Center actively promotes original research into rodent and leporid animal resources, independently developing new animal strains, continuously enhancing preservation capabilities, and upgrading sharing service technologies. Notably, it has successfully cultivated several proprietary models, including the congenital cataract mouse (BALB/cAn-Crygcm1Sbao/Slac), a late-onset congenital cataract mouse model (FVB/NJ_Cat/Slac), and the nude mouse (C57BL/6J-Foxn1nu/Slac).

Through adopting advanced production technologies and increasing support for scientific innovation and technological R&D, the Center has successfully bred China's first sterile mouse population. Currently, it has cryopreserved 466 mouse strains as a reserve for experimental animal breeding and supply. The Center primarily focuses on collecting, preserving, and sharing large quantities of standard animal strains and spontaneous disease models, supplemented by genetically edited animal model reserves.

Maintaining strict quality control over standard strains, the Resource Center provides high-quality germplasm resources for laboratory animal production nationwide and supplies standard strains and various animal models that conform to national standards and align with international quality benchmarks. Over the years, it has continuously served numerous provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, providing high-standard animal sources across the country, thus establishing a broad influence in the field.