VivaMARS is a new activity solution specially designed to address all the needs of high efficiency in CROs for neurotoxicology and neuropharmacology studies.

Features & Benefits

• HIGH THROUGHPUT—Increase your experimental capacity.
• TIME-SAVING—No extra cleaning time between sessions, simplified set-up operations.
• FLEXIBLE— A modular, portable system design for both mice and rats.
• ACCURATE—2-dimensional activity measurement and precise IR sensor spacing for optimal resolution and reliability.

• GLP COMPLIANCE – Unmatched data traceability and quality.
• SERVICES – At your disposal the whole suite of DSI service offerings to ensure the success of your studies.

Partnership with Data Science International (DSI)

DSI and Panlab brands, divisions of Harvard Bioscience Inc., are leading manufacturer of quality instrumentation for animal behavioral and physiology research. Representing over 50 years of experience and referenced in more than 7,000 peer-reviewed publications, our solutions are proven choices for a wide range of in vivo applications spanning neuroscience, toxicology, pharmacology and more. Our collective team is eager to share our expertise and support your research as we have with many of the world’s scientists for decades.

In the context of this partnership, DSI and Panlab features the new VivaMARS solution, a high-capacity activity monitoring system for pre-clinical applications.

The new system combines the Company’s high precision Panlab activity monitoring technology with the industry leading Ponemah™ pre-clinical data management software to create an integrated good laboratory practice (GLP) compliant solution. The system is ideally suited to meet the high throughput, automated pre-clinical safety and pharmacology testing needs of CROs and pharma, in addition to acute activity studies carried out by leading research and academic institutes.

For more information visit VivaMARS website

Behavior. Neuroscience. Stimulation.

Smart I/O is an enhanced version of the Panlab SMART 3.0 video-tracking for the combined evaluation of behavior with the neural recording and stimulation (electrical and optogenetics).

The importance of the use of video recording and video tracking tools is signifi cant in this context for ensuring a reliable assessment of behavior in neuroscience research.

• Combine the evaluation of behavior with the evaluation of neural recording and stimulation(electrical and optogenetics).
• Use multidisciplinary approach for a better understanding of the brain functions and their intrinsic mechanisms.

Integrated stimulation protocol editor

• Integrated feedback loop between behavior and stimulation.
• Stimulus input/output interface through the Panlab I/O interface (2 stimulation channels, Pulse TTL ON/OFF signal or Pulse Train)
• Stimulation can be automatically triggered depending on user-defi ned conditions: zone entry/exit, time delay,manual key pressing, etc.

Benefits

• SAVE TIME: Save Time Focus your time effort on your research, don’t waste it with complex tools. SMART I/O is a user-friendly solutions for video recording and automated behavior assessment in small laboratory animals.
• REFINE YOUR STUDIES: Refi ne your behavioral studies using multidisciplinary approaches. SMART I/O provides all the essential functions for combining behavior with electrical and optogenetics stimulations.
• ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY: Enhance the productivity of your experiments with the SMART I/O boosted platform, multiple arenas and multiple camera options. More data,less time.

Provided data

• Summary tables directly exportable to Excel and providing calculation for each user-defined zones and/or time intervals.
• Wide variety of standard calculations related to tracking: time/distance/entries in zones, average speed... 
• Zone transition, global activity and events list reporting the time evolution of specific calculations and distribution of their occurrence.
• Track coordinates reports (X,Y,Z)
• Group evolution graphs and Track image exportation

Last available release

Related products

• Open-field box (P)
• Laberinto en cruz elevado (P)
• Elevated zero maze (P)
• Dark light box (P)
• Water Maze (P)
• Radial Maze (P)
• Barnes maze (P)
• T maze (P)
• Y maze (P)
• Place Preference Box - Black & White (P)
• Place Preference Box - Spatial (P)
• Forced swimming test cylinders (P)
• Social box (P)

Panlab features the new OxyletPro waste collection cage for mice. A more comprehensive approach to understanding the animal body mass phenotype by combining the assessment of respiratory metabolism with digestive efficiency through the analysis of collected urine and feces.

The OxyletPro waste collection configuration features:

• Top-level home cage section including refillable food and drink dispensers as well as a smooth grid floor and resting tube accessories for ensuring maximum animal comfort and minimize stress
• Low-level waste collection section with separating cone, collections funnel, urine ring and removable sampling tubes.
• Stainless-steel supporting stand for the chamber set up and optional chiller accessory
• IR bars set, activity logger and SEDACOM software for global activity and rearing assessment (optional).
• Compatible with Panlab indirect calorimetry control units, accessories, and software: gas analyser, air flow and switching unit, reference air chamber and METABOLISM software
• DSI implantable accessories for additional physiological data (optional)

Key Features:

• Fully validated technology for waste collection (Tecniplast)
• Special smooth floor and resting tube for minimizing stress
• Easy cleaning (Polycarbonate, stainless-steel material)
• Compatible with telemetry

OxyletPro’s full modular design allows for simple expandability. Configurations are available for home cage metabolism phenotyping with our Physiocage system and for cardiovascular studies with exercise physiology with our airtight treadmills.

Start with the configuration that meets your requirements today and expand as needs change and grow!

OxyletPro can be used in the following applications: obesity, diabetes, metabolic disorders, nutrition studies, drug screening, phenotyping and more!

RECORD-IT! MEDIA is the Panlab product specifically designed to record digital videos in laboratories and scientific environments in general.

RECORD-IT! MEDIA can record the live images of up to 8 cameras simultaneously into independent digital video files. RECORD-IT! MEDIA also provides a Player for the review of the recorder videos. Both video recording and video playing can be synchronized with third-party system.

Features & Benefits

• SECURE—Protect your valuable work with exceptional security including traceability and video storage.
• TIME-SAVING—Simultaneous recordings of several subjects.
• FLEXIBLE—Start with the number of cameras you have today with the confidence that you can easily add more as your needs change
• ACCURATE—Video-to-data synchronization function available for data validation

Powerful Video Recorder

RECORD-IT! MEDIA processes the images (frames) coming from the connected images sources (cameras). The cameras supported by RECORD-IT! MEDIA are digital USB cameras, webcam, WIA cameras, analog cameras and IP network cameras. RECORD-IT! MEDIA also provides some simulated live image video sources for demo purposes.

• Screen camera view option (1, 4 or 8 cameras views).
• Independent or simultaneous Start/Stop.
• Camera status table for a better follow-up of the current recording status of the cameras.
• Individual setting by camera (format, name, recording mode/duration).
• All the settings are saved in a Record-It project file for easy storage and retrieval.
• High quality compression (H.264/MPEG 4 AVC codec Xvid equivalent; *.mkv file extension).

Convenient Video Player

RECORD-IT! MEDIA player is compatible with a wide range of video formats.

• Search and re-link video file option available to retrieve lost video files.
• Player panel with re-size option.
• PLAY/STOP/PAUSE controls.
• Fast-Rewind/Fast-Forward controls (10 frames steps).
• Frame-by-Frame Rewind and Forward controls.
• Use the integrated Speed Selector for changing the speed of the visualization (x0.25 to x16).

Stand-alone recorder & player

• Video feed for a better validation/checking of the experiment.
• The recorded video files can be analyzed off-line using the SMART video-tracking system (or equivalent application) for the automated evaluation of behavior or manual scoring.
• Use RECORD-IT! MEDIA with our StartFear system and operant boxes (or any other system) for a concomitant video recording of the experimental sessions.

Integrate RECORD-IT MEDIA in your own application!

• Synchronization with third-party systems.
• Remote recording START/STOP.
• Remote player frame synchronization.

Last available release

Related products

• SMART Video-Tracking (P)
• Startle and Fear Conditioned System (P)
• Operant Behavioral Boxes (P)

Principle of the test

The tail suspension test allows a fast and reliable screening of the psychotropic properties (anti-depressants, sedatives) of drugs on rodents. 

The tail-suspension test was developed as an alternative to the Forced Swimming test, yet the concept remains the same. Rodents, suspended by their tail, innately attempt to escape from this aversive situation. However,following failed attempts to escape, they experience despair and become immobile. The magnitude of immobility is considered to be correlated with the depressive-like state of the subjects and is significantly decreased by antidepressants.

The parameters currently evaluated are:

• total time spent immobile
• latency to the first event of immobility
• etc...

NEW Tail Suspension Box Optimized for Video-Tracking Use!

The Panlab Tail suspension box (TST) consists in a box with 3 compartments, so to carry out experiment simultaneously on 3 experimental subjects at the same time.

NEW Modular Background Panels! The box is provided with modular background panels with 3 choices of colour (black/grey and white/translucid panels)

The box is also made of non-reflecting and odour-resistance material for an optimized use with a video-tracking system. Our user-friendly SMART video-tracking sofware is our recommend solution to run, record, analyse and replay the experiments at will.

BEAM WALKING or BEAM BALANCE TEST

The beam balance test (or beam walking assay) is used to assess fine motor coordination and balance in rodents, especially in experimental models associated with an alteration of the motor skills (brain injury, genetic manipulations, and/or pharmacological treatments…).

The goal of this test is for the subject to stay upright and walk across an elevated narrow beam to a safe box/platform. This test usually takes several consecutive days of test: some days of training and 1 day of testing. Performance on the beam is quantified by measuring the time it takes for the subject to cross the beam and the number of paw slips that occur in the process.

This task is particularly useful for detecting subtle deficits in motor skills and balance that may not be detected by other motor tests, such as the Rotarod.

PANLAB BEAM BALANCE TEST - DESCRIPTION

The Panlab beam balance test is composed of:

• A goal box (15 cm wide, 22 cm deep, 18 cm high)
• 2 tripods - adjustable height from 50 to 130 cm and with built-in level to check horizontality
• 4 ledge tapered beams (120 cm long) with following width dimensions:
• 0.5 cm upper beam width on 2.2 cm bottom beam width
• 2 cm upper beam width on 4 cm bottom beam width
• 1.5 cm upper beam width on 5.5 cm bottom beam width
• 6 cm upper beam width on 10 cm bottom beam width

The beam can be horizontal or the tripods height can be adjusted to make a slope.

The goal box and beams are easy to remove/assemble using manual screws below the beam.

NEW CATCH NET OPTION!

The 76-116/LE782CN “catch net” can be used to ensure that the animals do not injure themselves if they fall (optional item).

The Small Animal Physiological Monitoring System is an instrument integrating multiple physiology parameters on one single small platform. The objective behind this instrument is to provide superior monitoring results, while making surgery and other manipulations on small animals easier.

The platform integrates monitoring of the rectal temperature, electrocardiogram (ECG), respiration, oxygen saturation (SpO2), blood pressure and exhaled CO2. It also includes a controlled heating surface to maintain the animal’s body temperature at the desired level.

Features & Benefits

• Demands less installation time at the beginning of procedures.
• Reduces the required space and the number of wires around the animal: (i) A single data/power cable connects to a small wireless communication moduleand (ii)All data is transferred to an Android tablet by Bluetooth for display and saving.
• Real-time display provides numeric values as well as waveforms that can be customized by the user: Multiple signals can be displayed on each of the three graphs.
• Available with a stereotaxic adaptor option, which includes ear bars, a tooth bar and either a nose bar or an anesthesia mask: Stereotaxic device is fixed to the platform, but can easily be removed depending upon the application.
• Recorded data can easily be transferred to any computer for analysis: Scripts and utilities provided to convert data in LabChart or CSV format and to display signals in Excel and Matlab

Components Included

• Heated platform (for rats or mice)
• Android tablet with case and stand
• Bluetooth communication module
• Rectal probe
• Electrode gel

 Physiological Parameters

• ECG - Integrated electrodes under the paws & external electrodes
• Respiration - Waveform acquired with a sensor under the animal
• Heart & Breath Rate - Real-time display from the ECG and respiration waveform
• Warming & Temperature - Heated platform and rectal probe for precise control and monitoring
• Blood Pressure (option) - Connection for a pressure catheter
• SpO2 (option) - Pulse oximetry and oxygen saturation with a paw/tail sensor
• Exhaled CO2 (option) - Gas ports for precise CO2 measurements (with an external ventilator)

Advanced Display Interface

• Touchscreen display - Pinch to zoom on waveforms (works with surgical gloves)
• 1 to 5 second waveforms - Select any signal to display
• 1 to 30 minute trends - View temperature, heart & breath rate trends, and numeric values
• Easy data saving - Add notes, save and export data for an easy analysis

Heated Platform

• External ports – Rectal temperature, pressure catheter, ECG electrodes, SpO2 sensor
• ECG electrodes
• Respiration sensor
• Warming zone – 0.1oC resolution
• Single data/power cable – Link to a compact Bluetooth module with 4 analog outputs
• Exhaled CO2 ports

System Information

Heated Platform

• Easy to clean surface
• 10 cm x 21 cm x 2.5 cm (mice)
• 12 cm x 27 cm x 2.5 cm (rats)

Tablet

• 8” Android tablet (10.1” available)
• High resolution touchscreen display
• Capacity of over 400 hours of saved data
• 5-8 hours battery life
• USB cable and charger

Communication Module

• Bluetooth and analog outputs are in a separate enclosure to avoid interferences
• 9 cm x 11 cm x 2.5 cm
• 100-240 V power supply

Bluetooth

15 to 25 meters typical range between the communication module and the display unit Analog Outputs
• 4 configurable outputs
• BNC connectors, ±5V range
• 1 kHz, 16-bit refresh rate

Data Analysis

• .csv conversion tool
• MATLAB® & Excel® import and display scripts
• Compatible with third-party analysis software (LabChart)

How to order 

The body reversal corridor is used for assessing muscle control and movement coordination in rats.

The apparatus consist of a narrow black Perspex corridor with a closed end. The corridor is provided with two supporting paws for ensuring its stability during the test.

The rat is placed in the corridor facing the closed end. The researcher evaluates the time spent by the animal to turn over (body reversal) and reach the opposite opened end of the corridor.

TThe tube dominance test is used for investigating social dominance in mice.

The apparatus consist of a narrow clear Perspex tube with two removable central doors. The tube is provided with two supporting paws for ensuring its stability during the test.

After being habituated to run through the tube individually, two mice are placed in the tube into opposite ends. Once both mice get close to the doors, the doors are opened and the dominant mice will makes the submissive mouse reverse until it get out of the tube. When one animal has all four paws out of the tube, it is declared the loser while the animal remaining inside the tube is the winner, ending the match.

The number of wins is reported as a percentage of total number of matches. Additional information about the social hierarchies can be gained with the measurement of additional parameters such as duration of each match, latency to exit the tube, and more.

The foot misplacement corridor test is used for assessing motor coordination and balance (gait control) in small laboratory animal (rats and mice).

The foot misplacement corridor test is made of a narrow corridor with clear Plexiglas side walls and opened extremities connecting the corridor to two plastic home cages, one for each side. The floor of the corridor consists of removable metal bars. The animal is placed at one extremity of the corridor and is required to walk on the bars as if walking on a horizontal ladder. The use of a ladder allows observing separately the front and hind foot placement in order to accurately count the total number of foot misplacements (misseps).

The bars can be removed to vary the distance/space between the bars and make the test more difficult for the animal. The changes in bar spacing also prevent animals from learning the location of the bars and so minimize the ability of the animals to compensate for impairments through learning. The width of the corridor can be adjusted to the size of the animal to prevent the animal from turning around.

The system can be combined with the use of a video tracking system for video recording and eventually assess a global evaluation of the animal trajectory, displacement and speed during the test.

This test is a qualitative test with a high sensitivity to determine even subtle loss of movement capacity.