All posts by Sandrine Lemouton

Colloque AFSTAL

30 novembre – 02 décembre 2021
Marseille – FRANCE
Stand n°52

Ce 46ème colloque AFSTAL sera dédié à l’anticipation en vue de la réalisation d’un projet dans son ensemble : éthique, expérimental et scientifique.

Les facteurs de variabilité, la réflexion éthique dès la conception du projet, la mise en place des protocoles, leurs reproductibilités et l’anticipation des imprévus jusqu’à la gestion des crises seront abordés.

Nous vous invitons à venir nous rencontrer sur le stand n°52, pour découvrir nos solutions d’acquisition et d’analyse des paramètres physiologiques chez les animaux de laboratoire :

ETUDES CARDIOVASCULAIRES

  • Mesure non invasive de l’ECG chez le rongeur et les gros animaux
  • Télémétrie et acquisition de boucles pression/volume

Voir nos solutions

ETUDES RESPIRATOIRES

  • Pléthysmographes pour rongeurs
  • Télémétrie non invasive

Voir nos solutions

ETUDES NEUROLOGIQUES

  • Solutions pour mesure de l’EEG
  • Etudes comportementales

Voir nos solutions

ETUDES DES ORGANES & TISSUS ISOLES

  • Bains organes isolés
  • Coeur isolé perfusé

Voir nos solutions

SIGNES VITAUX ET ANESTHESIE RONGEURS

  • Ventilation et monitoring petit animal durant anesthésie
  • Appareils d’anesthésie compacts à faible consommation de gaz anesthésique (SomnoFlo et SomnoSuite).

Voir nos solutions

Descriptif du poste

Nous créons un poste d’ingénieur technico-commercial. Au sein d’une équipe de 30 personnes basée à Paris, vous développerez l’activité en France et surtout à l’export : identification de prospects, démonstrations sur site, suivi des offres, installations…

Profil recherché

Ingénieur ou équivalent, doté d’une formation biomédicale ou en recherche pharmacologique, vous êtes débutant ou possédez une première expérience. Vous êtes opiniâtre et possédez une bonne capacité de contact et d’écoute et de solides connaissances scientifiques de base. Un excellent anglais opérationnel est indispensable.

Salaire: 39-46k€ brut annuel
Prise de poste: Dès que possible
Expérience: Tous niveaux d’expérience acceptés
Statut du poste: Cadre du secteur privé
Type de poste: CDI
Zone de déplacement: Union Européenne

Processus de recrutement
Entretien téléphonique de 30 min dont une partie se déroulera en Anglais.
Pour les candidats retenus, second entretien de 2h dans nos locaux Parisiens

Veuillez envoyer vos CV et lettre de motivation à fg@emka.fr

Nous recherchons un Assistant Commercial (H/F) auquel confier, au sein d’une équipe commerciale de 10 personnes, les tâches et responsabilités suivantes :

  • suivi et gestion des dossiers clients dans notre CRM (Hubspot),
  • contacts avec distributeurs (liste de prix, nouveautés produits, brochures…)
  • contacts avec les entreprises dont nous sommes distributeurs (gestion des listes de prix, gestion des commandes et des expéditions)
  • organisation des salons,
  • gestion des contrats de maintenance
  • Assister le responsable marketing dans ses missions,

Profil

Le candidat, de formation Bac+2 minimum, débutant ou possédant une première expérience, doit être autonome, dynamique, doué d’un solide sens de l’organisation et être habitué à l’utilisation des outils digitaux.

Nécessaire goût et capacité à s’intéresser à des produits techniques. Excellent anglais opérationnel absolument indispensable.

Salaire: 27-33k€ brut annuel
Prise de poste: Dès que possible
Expérience: Tous niveaux d’expérience acceptés
Statut du poste: Cadre du secteur privé
Type de poste: CDI
Zone de déplacement: Pas de déplacement

Processus de recrutement

Une première évaluation se fera lors un entretien téléphonique d’une vingtaine de minute dont une partie se déroulera en Anglais.
Pour les quelques candidats retenus, un second entretien de 2 heures environ aura lieu dans nos locaux Parisiens.

Veuillez envoyer vos CV et lettre de motivation à fg@emka.fr

We are proud to announce the successful transfer of ownership of emka TECHNOLOGIES from our founder M. Jean-Gérard Napoléoni to its longstanding employee M. David Brunet, in partnership with the Fonds de Solidarité FTQ, the National Bank of Canada, the Caisse d’Épargne and BNP Paribas.

Mr. David Brunet will now serve as President and CEO of emka TECHNOLOGIES. M. Brunet previously managed the Canadian subsidiary SCIREQ as Vice President, where he led the company in numerous technical and managerial roles.

Read the full press release here.

emka TECHNOLOGIES will be exhibiting at the SPS annual meeting.

Stop by our virtual booth during the conference or check out what’s new below!

Visit the booth

Foster better compliance with the 3R’s

 Advances in our digital implantable telemetry  enabled improvements in data quality, reliability and fostered better compliance with the 3R’s. Group housing of subjects is a core functionality of our easyTEL+ telemetry system which improves social interactions, leads to less stress, yields better data.

 

Integrating SEND outcomes in safety pharmacology studies

Our SEND software suite, provides data tables under a SEND 3.1 compatible format, including new features:

  • Semi-automatic population of the domains
  • FULL CDISC controlled terminology embedded.

Learn more about all new features here

 

Dual implantation for combined Neuro and Cardiovascular recording

To facilitate simultaneous data collection on Cardiovascular and Neuro Safety Pharmacology endpoints, the number of available biopotentials along with the ability to use two implants in a single animal is crucial.

In a poster, Nataliya Sadekova et al 1, described a dog model equipped with telemetry implants for concurrent assessment of EEG, ECG, BP, temperature, and activity.

1 Nataliya Sadekova et al. Development of A Large Animal Model for Combined Seizure and Cardiovascular Liability Assessment. Poster presented at SPS 2019

 

emka & SCIREQ invite you to attend our free virtual panel discussion on September 23rd at 11:00am EST. Experts at the forefront of inhalation toxicology research will discuss Pre-Clinical Models of Smoke Exposure and provide deeper analysis of pre-clinical smoke modelling and the cardiopulmonary outcomes.

Smoking continues to be one of the leading causes of death in the world. With the rise of popularity of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) devices, further scientific research is needed to: 

  • Understand smoke-induced pathophysiological mechanisms 
  • Develop novel therapeutic agents to treat patients
  • Guide the decision-making process for the use of ENDS devices

In addition, the legalization of Cannabis in Canada and various states across the US has created more funding opportunities to understand the pulmonary effects of inhaled cannabis better and improve our understanding of the endocannabinoid system and the potential therapeutic applications.

Following the panel discussion, there will also be a Q&A period to answer any questions from the audience.

Check out the Registration page & full agenda here ! 

 

Alex CARLL, PhD, MSPH
from the University of Louisville

Dr. Alex Carll works in the department of Physiology, at the University of Louisville, KY, USA. He studies the biological mechanisms by which air pollutants weaken the heart, impair cardiac conduction, and compromise hemodynamics, and whether such effects occur through the autonomic nervous system. He uses ecgAUTO software to analyze ECG, blood pressure, and left ventricular pressure in rodents.

We are pleased to share an interview with Alex, who kindly shared his thoughts about his research with us.

INTERVIEW:

Q: What led you to pursue this research area and what interests you most about it?

A: My interest in the cardiovascular effects of airborne toxins stemmed from a combination of educational, professional, and personal interests.

While earning a PhD in Environmental Health Sciences, I worked for the EPA, where I analyzed rat ECGs for air pollutant-induced arrhythmias and changes in heart rate variability. Excellent mentors at the EPA, and a strong team of public health researchers focused on environmental determinants of cardiovascular disease during my postdoc at Harvard, furthered my interests in this field.

I also have a vested personal interest in the potential impacts of air pollution being an outdoor enthusiast.

Q: What does the general landscape of this research currently look like?

A: The landscape I’m now most familiar with is largely dictated by funding opportunities and government priorities, which includes characterizing health effects and understanding biological mechanisms of toxicity.

For example, the FDA is more interested in characterization of health effects given their responsibility to evaluate the safety of food and drugs, whereas the NIH is perhaps more interested in work that determines the mechanisms of toxicity.

Attention has recently shifted away from airborne particulate matter (classic air pollutants) to multi-pollutant interactions and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In inhalation toxicology, emphasis has shifted to some extent to e-cigarette research, given the novelty and our limited understanding of the public health implications of e-cigarettes.

Increasingly sensitive tools are allowing researchers to demonstrate toxicity at lower, more real-world levels. And so, researchers depend all the more on the reliability and sensitivity of their instruments.

Q: What are the real-world implications of your research?

A: My research mostly uses rodents to identify the cardiac risks of inhaled toxins, but it is also designed to clarify whether links between exposures and adverse human health outcomes might causally relate. Right now, there is a proposed menthol ban in combustible cigarettes. This may someday play out for e-cigarettes as well. My research could impact the chosen route forward for regulation of e-cigarettes.

Q: How long have you been an EMKA user?

A: I have used EMKA’s ecgAUTO software for 16 years.

I used it throughout my training at the U.S. EPA and UNC Chapel Hill, as well as Harvard University, and now here at the University of Louisville.

Q: How has using EMKA software helped with improving the translatability and reproducibility of your research?

A: After using ecgAUTO to analyze animal ECGs for over a decade, I began applying it to human data a few years ago. This has enhanced the translatability of my research by allowing me to use the same software and analysis procedures.

The ability to reapply the same configurations across various studies for automated detection of heart beats is a major advantage.

The ability to analyze data from conscious, unrestrained animals ensures a greater level of reproducibility, since anesthetics can interfere with the toxic effects of aerosols and the mechanisms underlying them.

The autonomy to adjust fiduciary points of the library waveforms for pattern recognition in ECG analysis sets ecgAUTO apart from competing software. The software can handle large datasets with multiple physiological signals per file as well.

Q: What were some insights that the EMKA solutions helped you obtain?

A: Throughout my 16 years of working with EMKA, I have truly felt like I am working with the EMKA team. There has been a constant two-way communication to optimize the software and figure out workarounds for various challenges. EMKA has consistently provided me direct, honest, and unfiltered feedback on the limitations and advantages of their products. I really can’t think of a more responsive company.

Q: What features of the equipment or software do you find most useful?

A: The ability of ecgAUTO to handle staggering amounts of data with relative ease has proven highly advantageous.

The customizability of parameters has enabled us to estimate relatively novel endpoints in the field of cardiovascular toxicology. For instance, in rats, we have used negative ST area as a surrogate for ST segment amplitude to indicate myocardial ischemia.

As well, the interlead analysis option has enabled us to estimate excitation-contraction coupling time or electro-mechanical delay when pairing ECG with left ventricular pressure. Spontaneous baroreflex has also been another useful and relatively novel parameter provided in ecgAUTO.

Q: What was the reasoning behind selecting your animal model?

A: I began my research in rats given how conducive their size is to telemetry surgeries as well as their representativeness of human cardiac physiology. However, I made the switch to mice, given the variety of genetic models available for testing biological mechanisms.

Q: What advice do you have for someone starting out in this research area?

A: Glom onto someone knowledgeable in the field and learn everything you can from them. Never stop asking questions, and if your peers and mentors don’t know the answer to the most interesting questions, figure out how to find the answer yourself.

Q: What’s next for your lab and your research?  

A: We have some major publications in the works that examine the ability of e-cigarettes to induce cardiac arrhythmia. I also plan to further enhance the translational aspects of my current research program.

THANK YOU, Dr. CARLL, FOR THIS INTERVIEW!

If you have any questions about the use of ecgAUTO, please Contact Us!

 

27-28 Mai 2021
Congrès 100% digital – virtual event

Alors que les maladies cardiovasculaires demeurent la première cause de mortalité au monde, le Printemps de la Cardiologie 2021 est l’occasion de partager les dernières recherches fondamentale et translationnelle cardiovasculaires.

Cette année, le programme propose 4 thématiques: Vaisseaux, Rythmologie, Cœur & Insuffisance Cardiaque, Valves & Médecine Expérimentale. Voir le programme


While cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the world, the Printemps de la Cardiologie 2021 event is an opportunity to share the latest fundamental and translational cardiovascular research.

This year, 4 research areas are highlighted: Vessels, Rhythmology, Heart & Heart Failure, Valves & Experimental Medicine. See the program

Be sure to stop by our virtual booth to check out what’s new at emka TECHNOLOGIES!Visit the booth

 

We are excited to see the vast number of scientific sessions and poster in anatomy, biochemistry, molecular biology, investigative pathology, pharmacology, and physiology at Experimental Biology this year!

Whether your research involves high-throughput analysis of ECG morphology or complex hemodynamics studies in freely moving animals, we provide comprehensive solutions and services to equip and serve your core cardiovascular lab.

Be sure to stop by our virtual booth to check out what’s new at emka TECHNOLOGIES!Visit the booth

 

The more you can measure, the more you know. Integrating various tools in neuroscience, like video tracking and wireless telemetry, offer a more complete assessment of complex disease models.

In this webinar hosted by Noldus, we will hear about telemetry options in behavioral testing and integration in video tracking experiments. Matt McGuire kindly shares his experiences and insights from his Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) research at the Dr Poulsen Lab.

Speaker: Matt McGuire, Dr. Poulsen Lab

MD/PhD Candidate – University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. 

Title: A rat model of autonomic dysregulation based on heat rate variability following severe traumatic brain injury.

Abstract: Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of trauma-related mortality and disability worldwide, affecting about 5.5 million people annually. The autonomic nervous system’s control of cerebral blood flow, and cardiac rhythm are dysregulated following mild TBI or concussion. Autonomic dysfunction after TBI is believed to represent an uncoupling between the cerebral autonomic centers and the cardiovascular system. We evaluated the electrocardiograms (ECG) of adult, male Wistar rats two months following a severe TBI induced by the lateral fluid percussion injury method, to determine if the autonomic system dysregulation observed in human mild TBI can be observed in a preclinical rodent model.

Speaker: Chelsea Richardson, emka TECHNOLOGIES

Scientific Sales Specialist at emka TECHNOLOGIES

Chelsea has been with emka TECHNOLOGIES for over three years. She is currently a Scientific Sales Representative for the North American Region, though has worked closely with researchers across the globe. Coming from over 10 years in academic research, Chelsea has experience in a wide array of research topics and with specialization in neuroscience and rodent surgery models. She has been a part of the original team creating and testing the integrated systems between Noldus and emka and continues to assist with future projects of the like.

Title: A look inside the updates in digital telemetry and the benefits to behavioral researchers provided by emka TECHNOLOGIES.

Abstract: Telemetry has continuously morphed over the last several years, becoming more reliable, sensitive, and user friendly. With the additions of synchronized video behavioral phenotypes can be analyzed along with EEG; like sleep stages and seizure liability. The ability to integrate the various disciplines of neuroscience will pave new frontiers for the neuroscience community. Emka TECHNOLOGIES provides telemetry solutions for integrated and synchronous analysis with various behavioral observation, mazes, and tests.

Speaker: Dominic Bolt, Noldus

Dominic has been with Noldus for nearly three years. He is currently the Account Manager for the Central Region, though he has worked closely with researchers across the country. He has visited over 100 Noldus labs and has experience with a wide array of different research topics. Dominic was part of the team that first tested the integrated system between Noldus and emka as well as the co-author of the manual that outlines the integration process.

Abstract: EthoVision XT is a software solution for the automated tracking and analysis of animal activity and behavior. In this presentation, I am going to discuss the software as well as demonstrate how it analyzes the videos from Poulsen Lab. Additionally, I will show how the software can easily highlight any significant behavioral or locomotive differences between the experimental groups.

Noldus logo

 

January 14th, 2021

emka TECHNOLOGIES is pleased to announce that we are now approved with Electronic Catalog (ECAT).

ECAT is an easier purchasing method for Department of Defense and other Federal agencies, in the United States of America. This program allows to browse, compare, and order a wide range of laboratory supplies and equipment.

More details can be found here: https://www.dla.mil/TroopSupport/Medical/ECAT/

January 11th, 2021


Noldus Information Technology and emka TECHNOLOGIES are pleased to announce a new partnership enabling close cooperation between the two companies.
The collaboration will be both technical and commercial, enabling both companies to offer unrivaled solutions for easy integration of behavioral and physiological measurements that offer more insight than ever before.

We are excited to see the vast number of scientific sessions, courses and posters presented this year!

Be sure to stop by our virtual booth to check out what’s new at emka TECHNOLOGIES!

emka virtual boothVisit the booth

Preclinical drug-induced cardiotoxicity

Cardiovascular toxicity is an important cause of drug attrition, particularly for small molecule projects administered chronically. Electrocardiography (ECG) analysis can provide deep insights into drug-induced myocardial pathology and help mitigate safety liabilities.

While implanted telemetry remains the gold standard for cardiovascular electrophysiology studies, alternative methods have emerged to provide detailed ECG recordings without the use of anesthesia or surgery. For example, repeat-dose toxicity studies can be carried out in large animals with external (jacketed) telemeters to provide a functional assessment of heart rhythm, conduction, repolarization and morphology, without the need for surgery. Jacketed telemetry is often considered more sensitive and reproducible than traditional “snapshot” recordings in restrained animals, which are the mainstay of cardiovascular toxicity studies owing to their cost-effectiveness and highly valuable reference data.

While rats are generally deemed unsuitable for QT interval assessments due to small ventricular hERG-like current, other ECG parameters such as heart rate, PR and QRS intervals can help uncover clinically relevant drug-induced cardiovascular effects. The advent of restrained ECG research platforms suitable for mice, hamsters and rats, coupled with advanced post-processing software, can provide powerful insights into cardiac rhythm abnormalities associated with chronic exposure to drugs. Non-invasive ECG measurements can also reveal effects that intensify on repeated dosing and can therefore replace or complement implanted telemetry studies in exploratory toxicology and repeat-dose toxicity studies.

Contact us to learn more about the benefits and tradeoffs of each technique

Inhaled particulate matter

Inhaled particulate matter (PM) has recently been linked to a staggering 20% of mortality worldwide.

Studies show chronic inhalation of particulate matter causes alterations in cardiac electrophysiology, and can lead to arrhythmias, oxidative stress, inflammation, vascular dysfunction, atherosclerosis and heart failure. Preexisting cardiovascular disease further increases the risk of adverse cardiac events following chronic PM exposure.

When studying adverse effects of inhaled cardiotoxicants in vivo, incorporating functional cardiovascular outcomes such as electrocardiograms (ECGs) acquired via invasive or non-invasive measurement strategies can offer additional insight.

While implanted telemetry studies remain widely regarded as the gold standard in terms of signal quality, alternative methods have emerged to permit detailed ECG recording without the use of anesthesia or telemetry.

For instance, the ecgTUNNEL, a restrained ECG research platform suitable for mice, hamsters and rats, can record 65% of beats for detailed studies of heart rates, R-R intervals, and QT prolongation. Non-invasive ECG measurements can therefore replace or complement implanted telemetry studies, especially for research involving young mice or fragile knockout models.

January 11-13, 2021
Virtual Event

Join us at the SfN Virtual 2021 Meeting, to learn, collaborate and connect with neuroscientist across the globe. We will be available to chat during the event, in Eastern Standard Time (EST). Take a look at the event schedule !

Interested in an integrated approach to traditional preclinical neurophysiology studies?

Wireless telemetry recording systems, paired with synchronized video monitoring, facilitates EEG analysis and behavioral indicators from freely moving single or group housed rodents.


BRENT BARRE
from Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute

Brent Barre is a research associate with Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute where he currently works with multiple SARS-CoV2 virus studies, in addition to other infectious diseases as well as chemical agents.

We are pleased to share an interview with Brent, who kindly gave us some of his valuable time to share his thoughts about his current research.

INTERVIEW:

Q: What is your experience with infectious disease research ?
A: I work with different pathogens (viral pathogen (COVID, Flu), bacterial pathogens (anthrax, tularemia), biological pathogen (ricin)) that require testing in a BSL3 facility. Most of these are classified as infectious diseases.

Q: How long have you been doing this type of work ?
A: I have been in CMO/CROs for more than 17 years.

Q: How long has Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute been doing this type of work?
A: Lovelace has been working with infectious disease models over 70 years.

Q: What is your experience with SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19)?
A: I currently work on multiple active SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) studies on-going in our BSL3 facilities.

Q: How would you describe the current research environment for infectious diseases, for example SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) which is currently on the rise?
A: Given the current global concern of SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19), it fosters a more collaborative research environment as we are all working toward helping our own communities to find treatment and vaccine options for patients.

Q: What are the clinical signs or endpoints that you are looking for in your SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) studies and why?
A: We are looking at respiratory outcomes such as respiratory rate (RR), tidal volume (TV), minute volume (MV), and accumulated volume (AV) as well as temperature for onset of fever which are currently used in the clinics to diagnose COVID-19 patients and determine disease severity.

Q:  How are you picking your animal models for the SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) studies?
A: To begin our SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) studies we began looking at models that showed promise in previous SARS-CoV and influenza studies. Some examples of currently used subjects in the follow, where each have their own pros and cons for the various research goals each institution is working on.

  • Humanized ACE2 transgenic mouse model
  • Syrian hamster model
  • Ferret
  • Common marmoset
  • African Green Monkey
  • Cynomolgus macaque
  • Rhesus macaque

Q: What determines a good subject for SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) studies?
A: Certain selection criteria are used when looking at any potential subject for inclusion in a research study. In regard to SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19), we are looking at models that show the following:

  • ACE2 receptor homology
  • ACE2 receptor distribution
  • Viral replication similarities
  • Clinical signs and disease severity
  • Immune response similarities
  • etc.

Q: Does Lovelace use large or small animals for their SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) studies?
A: Both, as both have their own advantages and disadvantages to study the disease in its entirety.

Q: Given the symptoms in the news of COVID-19 patients, how is that like your models?
A: Given the unknowns of COVID-19 along with the wide range of symptoms seen in COVID-19 patients depending on various demographics, model development and symptom assessment are ongoing. Determination of how those symptoms may or may not apply to COVID patients is complicated and requires accurate physiological data collection from animal models.

Q: What diagnostic tools do you use?
A: We use various plethysmography chambers to look at volumetric data. Common respiratory outcomes we measure are respiratory rate (RR), tidal volume (TV), and minute volume (MV). Additionally, we look at temperature changes through telemetry and data logger systems.

Q: Why is RR, TV, MV, and AV important to your SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) studies?
A:  Physiological data such as RR, TV, and MV may be used to calculate pathogen presentation to a subject or used to assess reaction during and/or after a therapy is presented. Accurate baseline measurements are also critical for comparative analysis of individual subjects.

Q: What type of measurements do you collect post-dosing?
A: Post-exposure we look at behavior, activity, and temperature changes as well as lavage, histology, etc.

Q: Once the subject becomes sick do you look at the changes in TV, MV, RR, temperature, activity, etc.?
A:  Physiological observations are critical to assess reaction to both pathogens and therapies. For example, TV, MV, and RR data may be collected immediately after a therapy is presented, while subjects are periodically monitored for RR, temperature, activity, etc. over a longer period after treatment.

Q: Do you look at higher risk individuals?
A: With some diseases, we will look at additional risk factors. In example, we use genetically modified subjects to better understand and additional risk factors or comorbidities.

Q: Is real-time analysis valuable for your studies?
A: YES. We use real-time accumulated volume (AV) measurements to calculate dosage.

We may also measure RR, TV, and MV during pathogen or treatment exposures. The real-time availability and accuracy of these recordings allows for accurate dosing on a per subject basis.

Additionally, the use of real-time temperature measurements through implanted telemetry, with fever detection, is extremely helpful to research the progression and transmission of different diseases or test articles.

Q: What is your opinion of the pros and cons of implanted verses non-invasive telemetry recording systems?
A:

With large animal subjects, there are more options when working with infectious disease models compared to working with smaller subjects like rodent models. Large animals allow for the use of both implantable and non-invasive telemetry systems, while smaller subjects are restricted to implantable telemetry devices, when working outside the respiratory realm which utilizes plethysmography chambers to measure respiratory volumes.

Being able to use implantable telemetry for chronic studies, or experiments requiring core body temperature, is beneficial where as studies requiring respiratory end points only allow us to utilize non-invasive telemetry options.

The use of non-invasive equipment allows for Lovelace to take advantage of the 3 Rs in research (reduce, reuse, and refine).

In both cases, the advantage of telemetry over logging systems is real-time observation of clinical symptoms, as well as reductions in user time to retrieve and monitor data from BSL-3 facilities throughout the duration of the study.

Q: Is there any specific value to your research from working directly with emka TECHNOLOGIES?
A: One of the emka systems we utilize is the emkaPACK4G respiratory impedance belt (RIP) system, to collect our respiratory volumes. This is critical, as we are using a head-only exposure design, making the RIP system the only method to collect volumetric data during exposure.

Q: Do you find the emka TECHNOLOGIES hardware to easily work across large and small animals?
A: The ability to use the same software set-up and many of the hardware components across study designs and subject models, allow for a more cost-effective core facility to investigate infectious diseases and other applications.

Q: Does emka TECHNOLOGIES specifically add value to your research projects?
A: Personalization of service from emka’s sales and support teams is excellent.

Emka is available for real-time assistance with experiments. The knowledge and ability of each individual emka representative allows for efficient and effective support while working with the same people. This type of service allows us to create a relationship with the emka reps that we learn to trust, when helping with our various research projects and goals. It is very rare that I ask a question and do not receive an answer on the spot, and when the answer is not readily known the response time is still under 24 hours.

THANK YOU, BRENT BARRE, FOR THIS INTERVIEW!

 

SEND (Standard for Exchange of Nonclinical Data) describes a structured way to submit nonclinical data in a consistent format to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). SEND aims to improve the efficiency and quality of the Investigative New Drug (IND) and New Drug Application (NDA) processes.

SEND submission is now mandatory for single dose toxicity, repeat-dose toxicity, carcinogenicity, cardiovascular and respiratory studies.  However, the flexible interpretation of these guidelines and resulting variability in the output datasets1 can cause delays and inefficiencies in the review process.

As an industry partner with deep expertise in IND-enabling studies, emka TECHNOLOGIES helps nonclinical scientists comply with SEND requirements by generating SEND 3.1 compatible tables directly from emka TECHNOLOGIES software.

The data can easily be exported to .xls, .csv and integrated into third-party solutions by Instem and Xybion to increase productivity in preclinical studies.

Main features

  • Selection of SEND variables for each domain
  • Semi-automatic population of the domains wherever possible.
  • Choice lists available with the full CDISC terminology
  • Management of the format codes from the implementation guide
  • Preview SEND-formatted data ready to be exported as .xls or .csv files
  • No need to re-validate your acquisition system. SEND export module works with any
    IOX version.

Download the brochure 

References and additional reading

As one of the oldest clinical indicators of disease in mammals, temperature is a crucial parameter to monitor, especially for infectious diseases where an acute fever is one of the first symptoms.

Temperature monitoring provides insight into:

» Inflammatory response
» Therapeutic response
» Immunity status and response
» Stress response

Infectious diseases such as COVID-19, influenza, plague, Ebola, and anthrax, affect multiple organ systems with a fever component. In an interview, Brent Barre from Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute explains how he currently works on multiple active SARS-CoV2 studies, using telemetry and plethysmography to look at temperature for onset of fever and respiratory outcomes on various animal models.

 

TheeasyTEL implanted telemetry system monitors and captures in real-time core body temperature and activity from small to large animals (80g to 10kg or more) such as Syrian Hamsters, Rats, Ferrets, Pigs, Dogs, or Primates.

Temperature and activity are recorded continuously for up to 150 days in rodents and 285 days in large animals.  

These implants are commonly used for infectious disease natural history studies.

Quick analysis

When fever or hypothermia is detected, system can send e-mail to preset lists of technicians or directors (for treatment or animal welfare euthanasia criteria), display a flashing warning on monitoring screens and activate a sound alarm on monitoring computers.

In IOX2 acquisition software,  onset of fever or hypothermia is detected if current temperature exceeds or decreases below preset thereshol. The threshold can use the Standard Deviation or the raw temperature value as the criteria.

Reliable data in group-housed subjects

» Continuous real-time data storage and display
» Local and remote continuous monitoring and analysis of temperature
» Implants turned on and off remotely
» No need for technicians to ever enter room to record or download data
» Robust design for use in BL3 and BL4 environments
» Group housing of up to 48 subjects in same room

Additional endpoints such as ECG or Blood Pressure are easily added within the same platform.

Common applications

KIMBERLY LONDER BS
from the University of Maryland, Baltimore

Kimberly Londer BS works at the BioMET Center, in the University of Maryland. She is multi-focal and works with the orthopedic department and as a cardiac research assistant. She is using ecgTUNNEL to capture ECG on young mice, without anesthesia.

We are pleased to share an interview with Kimberly, who kindly shared her thoughts about her research with us.

INTERVIEW:

Q: What interest you the most about your research ?

A: I am very interested in how daily aspects of life, i.e. diet, sleep, and exercise affect the heart and implications of heart disease with age. I was drawn to this type of research from an artistic background. I enjoy creating/designing models and some of the newest heart treatments include 3D printed clamps and valves that assist with atrial and/or ventricular function.

Q: What does the general landscape of this research area currently look like ?

A: Much of the research involved in heart disease is focused on the role of calcium movement in and out of cells and how mitochondrial changes, whether genetic/congenital, or as a result of injury, can alter heart function.

Q: What are the real-world implications of your research?

A: The use of emka’s non-invasive ecgTUNNEL allows me to phenotype animals for various heart conditions. With this information, the BioMET research team is developing treatment options for a double transgenic mouse model with atrial fibrillation (AF). It is hoped that these treatments could be developed further for use in human patients suffering from AF.

Q: How long have you been an emka TECHNOLOGIES user? 

A: About 6 months.

Q: How has using ecgTUNNEL helped with improving the translatability and reproducibility of your research?

A: Using ecgTUNNEL has been more-so groundbreaking rather than “improving” as there is few systems, publications, or data that exists on small animal ECG without the use of anesthesia or telemetry. The data captured from the ECG is easily reproducible with an appropriate acclimation period within the ecgTUNNEL prior to recording. The recordings are very clean with minimal smoothing and filtering.

Q: What were some insights that emka equipment has helped you obtain?
A: emka equipment has helped our research lab compile data of heart rates, R-R rates, QT lengths, and more in animals that are unanesthetized and without telemetry implants. This feature of emka’s equipment eliminates issues associated with other methods like lowered heart rate and increased stress.

Q: What other measurements are taken alongside ECG, and why?
A: Outside of using ECG parameters, heart tissue is analyzed for hypertrophy, fibrosis, mitochondrial function and calcium levels. Some of the mice are also put on an echocardiogram. These studies are performed to further the understanding of the mechanisms that perpetuate AF.

Q: What features of the equipment or software do you find most useful?

A: Being able to have a library of waves which you can label yourself is very helpful. It allows me to scan an entire recording for AF, ventricular disorders and other arrhythmias of interest within seconds. The different options for smoothing and wave detection are great. I enjoy being able to compare the raw data to the filtered data within the same window on the ecgAUTO program.

Q: What was the reasoning behind selecting your animal model?
A: We use a model of mouse that, with appropriate breeding scheme, is born with AF with symptoms manifesting as early as 2 months old. We are using this model in a series of AF experiments.

Q: What advice do you have for someone starting out in this research area?

A: Due to the limited research involving the true shape of the mouse ECG, I would recommend additional research outside of a regular ECG course. Mouse heart waves are different than humans due to the increased heart rate which results in the lack of a plateau phase and a “J” wave at the end of the QRS complex. This difference must be accounted for when comparing research data of mice to that of clinical data from human patients.

Q: What’s next for your lab and your research?  

A: I will continue to use the ECG to positively phenotype the mice for AF and other arrhythmias. Within the next months, we plan to administer different drugs in hopes of reducing or eliminating the burden of AF in the mice.

Q: Any specific recommendations, to finish with?
A: When putting animal in, it’s easiest to have head restraint as far back as possible. put animal in and immediately tighten side knob so that tunnel cannot move (Mice are strong enough to push top tunnel off if not done immediately) THEN, adjust head and rear restraints to desired location. Some of my calmer mice don’t even get restrained anymore, they just walk right in, and take a nap. I do always adjust rear restraint so they cannot back out but I often do not have to use head restraint. I would also recommend to:

  • Put animal in ecgTUNNEL and let sit for a few moments once or twice before actual recording begins. (2-5 min/day, a day or so prior to recording).
  • Record in a dim/dark room with limited noise or cover tunnel.
  • Use electrode gel, readings come out much clearer than without.
  • Watch for moving hands and feet! Often times, the mice push their back legs out of the whole where their tail is supposed to come. Give them a little tickle with a pen tip to get them to readjust their footing.
  • Keep cages of mice away from those on tunnel. Sounds and smells of cage mates are distracting!

THANK YOU, KIMBERLY LONDER BS, FOR THIS INTERVIEW!

If you have any questions about the use of ecgTUNNEL, please Contact Us!

 

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