Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Traditional practice has been to single-house vessel-cannulated rodents post surgically to protect exposed exteriorized catheters. Our goal was to develop a vessel-cannulated surgical model that could be socially housed and would be compatible with response movement caging.
A sterile custom connector was designed in collaboration with an industry vendor. The newly designed custom connector was primed and attached to the port after removal of the protective metal cap. The modified connector allows the standard extension line from the response movement caging system to easily connect for blood sample withdraws. Studies were conducted using our standard inhouse study design for pharmacokinetic studies with multilple blood sample collections out to 24 hours post dose.
All dosing and blood sample collections were performed in accordance with an IACUC-approved animal use protocol. The end result is a connector that allows for dosing and timed collections of high-quality blood samples using a response movement caging automated blood sampling system. The modified connector further allows for enhancement to the welfare of the animals by providing social enrichment through pair and group housing without compromising the integrity of the surgical model.
Pharmakokinetics and toxicokinetics are important components of drug discovery and development process. The removal of blood at multiple time points from an animal is required for these evaluations.
Blood sampling can be stressful for animals because of the handling, restraint, anaesthesia, or discomfort associated with a particular technique.
