Cardiovascular Telemetry
Rat telemetry is the model of choice for an early assessment of the effects of your drug molecule on the cardiovascular system. The use of fully implantable telemetry devices enables simultaneous recording of multiple cardiovascular parameters in conscious, freely moving group-housed animals. Standard cardiovascular variables measured include:
Arterial blood pressure
Heart rate
ECG
QA interval (biomarker for cardiac contractility)
Heart rate
Arterial blood pressure
ECG
QA interval (biomarker for cardiac contractility)
Locomotor activity and body temperature are also measured by the telemetry device which can be supplemented with standard behavioural observations to give an early indication of the effects of your molecule on the central nervous system, all in the same study.
The model has been pharmacologically characterised in our laboratory and the statistical power and minimal detectable differences using various group sizes have been published* for the key parameters measured. A standard group size of n=6 will allow detection of drug-induced changes in arterial blood pressure of 3-4mmHg.
Studies standardly incorporate the sampling of blood using capillary microsampling for drug blood/plasma concentration assessment to allow safety margin calculations and PD/PD modelling of the data.
*Ref: Skinner M, Ceuppens P, White P, Prior H (2019) Social-housing and use of double-decker cages in rat telemetry studies. Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods 96: 87-94.
