Invention:
Animal studies have always been a large part of scientific and medical discoveries both for the animals being studied and for eventual human application. Plethysmography, studying the changes in the volume of a body or organ, is a critical part of those studies. Here specifically is the study of respiration endpoints in mice and rats given different environmental conditions including the introduction of aerosolized medication. Typically, there are two ways mice and rats have been studied: conscious or unconscious. Administering anesthesia is tricky and it does not accurately reflect the conscious reactions sometimes sought after in the research. However, conscious plethysmography offers its own set of problems. Scientists are trying to record accurate data while simultaneously keeping the mice under as little stress possible.
Typically, head-out chambers require restraints to keep the mice in place. There is a problem particularly with head-out plethysmographs in losing pressure from leaks in those restraints. This invention introduces an air-fillable balloon that tightens safely and securely around the rodent’s neck. The balloon seals the container, preventing air leaks and maintaining accurate pressure in the plethysmography chamber ensuring thousands of accurate breath measurements.
Background:
Conscious, restrained plethysmography during research on rodents can be difficult to achieve accurate results in terms of keeping accurate pressure, temperature, and humidity in the chamber or chambers. Much of that has to do with the restraint on the rodent’s head. While most head-out chambers offer a few different sizes, each mouse head is shaped slightly differently which just means that there are some gaps for air to escape.
This technology allows one to measure the respiratory rate, lung capacity, etc. for any sized rodent by sealing the chamber encapsulating the rodent’s abdomen away from the rodent’s head. This simple solution allows for more flexibility in experimental design, less stress on the rodent yielding more accurate results, and eliminating the need for additional sensors and cumbersome solutions to the pressure, temperature, and air leak.
Applications:
Advantages:
- Eliminates air/pressure leaks
- Inexpensive
- Enables broader experimental design
