807B: in-situ Large Rodent/Small Animal Apparatus

807B – A Custom Apparatus for Rat Models

CHALLENGE

In 2011 Aurora Scientific was approached by Dr. Christopher Cardozo at the VA medical center to assist with researching the mechanisms of muscle atrophy in rats. Dr. Cardozo planned to use in-situ methodology to test certain muscles of interest; however, his rat model was very large and he expected that they would produce large forces. Aurora Scientific’s existing 1305A system and 806D platform could accommodate the measurement of forces up to 10N, which the animals were expected to well exceed. Larger transducers existed but they were too big to fit on the existing 806D.

SOLUTION

Aurora Scientific had recently redesigned most of their in-situ apparatus and had spent a great deal of R&D time on building large animal apparatus. As a result, Aurora Scientific had the experience and expertise to design a solution that would meet the needs of Dr. Cardozo and deliver at an affordable price. A new apparatus was designed, more robust and easily able to withstand the higher forces and loads of large animals, yet still compatible with existing clamps and accessories for small animal use.

RESULTS

The Aurora Scientific solution worked well in Dr. Cardozo’s lab and provided an easy way for him to measure muscle force in large animals. He was able to collect large amounts of useful, experimental data. The unit would later go on to find a minor niche for in-situ testing in lizards and also squirrels and other less conventional animal models. The redesign ultimately became the centerpiece of our 1310A complete system.

Select References

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• Yaden, Benjamin C. et al “Follistatin: a novel therapeutic for the improvement of muscle regeneration.” Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (2014) DOI: 10.1124/jpet.113.211169
• Segales et al. “Sestrin prevents atrophy of disused and aging muscles by integrating anabolic and catabolic signals” Nature communications (2020) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13832-9
• Gorini et al. “Reversible temporally-specific inhibition of muscle using a light-activated chloride channel” bioRxiv (2018) DOI: 10.1101/398156
• Cosentino et al. “Remodeled eX vivo muscle engineered tissue improves heart function after chronic myocardial ischemia” Scientific Reports (2023) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37553-8
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• Ma et al. “Myosin Head Configurations in Resting and Contracting Murine Skeletal Muscle” Internation Journal of Molecular Sciences (2018) DOI: 10.3390/ijms19092643
• Hamoudi et al. “Muscle weakness and selective muscle atrophy in osteoprotegerin-deficient mice” Human Molecular Genetics (2020) DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddz312
• Zhao et al. “Meningeal P2X7 Signaling Mediates Migraine-Related Intracranial Mechanical Hypersensitivity” The Journal of Neuroscience (2023) DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0368-23.2023