A new type of telemetry jacket, used to monitor the bodily functions of laboratory rats, is now being tested and validated for use with marmoset monkeys.

Developed by EARA member ETISENSE, in Lyon, France, the technology – called the DECRO External Telemetry Solution – is currently able to monitor the effect of drugs on rats, guinea pigs and minipigs and can be done without any invasive procedures (see also EARA Digest Aug 2022).

The technology can now also combine certain standard safety pharmacology studies on the same animals, which significantly reduces the number of animals used.

Corrine Simon, at ETISENSE, said: “DECRO is designed for multi-species use, provided that new jackets are developed and tested on the chosen species, both for animal acceptance and welfare, and for ease of use.”

Testing and validation for the jacket in marmosets is now underway and will be done in collaboration with the European Research Biology Center.

Marmosets, rather than macaques, are used in preclinical pharmacology, safety studies and toxicology assessments, due to their smaller size and immunological similarity to humans.