A sensor that monitors the vital signs of rodents used in biomedical studies holds the potential to enhance both research and improve animal welfare.
Developed by EARA member Vigilitech AG, Switzerland, the technology – MARTA (Monitoring Animals in Research with Technology and Application) – allows the monitoring of heart rate, temperature and breathing in mice and rats, without needing to attach electrodes or other devices.
As the sensor is contact-free this should reduce stress in the animals, which can often affect study results. Real-time data is collected and an app can give health alerts allowing researchers to respond quickly to any changes in vital signs.
The potential of MARTA was demonstrated at the recent annual meeting of the Society for Laboratory Animal Science (GV-SOLAS), an EARA member, in a collaboration with the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
The device was able to measure the breathing and heart rate of mice under sedation to study how stressful anaesthesia is for the animals. The work found that such sedation did not affect the stress levels of the mice, making a case that this approach could be integrated into anaesthesia protocols.
Dr. Marc Zünd, CEO of Vigilitech, said: “We are not only offering researchers a non-invasive method to track critical data, but also promoting the adoption of new Standard Operating Procedures across laboratories based on vital signs.”