Wirelessly controlled BSL3 vivarium system for automated microdosing in studies of infectious diseases

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Project Summary Infectious diseases are caused by micro-organisms, such as bacteria, protozoa, viruses or fungi, which can be transferred through direct or indirect human contact. A viral infection occurs when a host's body is invaded by pathogenic viruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19 and the current pandemic. This pandemic is the greatest public health challenge since the 1918 influenza pandemic and the biggest threat to destabilizing the global economy since World War II. As viruses tend to mutate quicker than other pathogenic agents (and thus newer strains emerge time and again), continuous research is required to combat infectious agents. For preclinical research, the most frequently used animal models are mice and rats. They offer an optimal combination of genetic proximity to humans, cost for breeding and colony maintenance possibilities due to their small size. Mice offer the broadest spectrum of available models. Rats are the second most frequently used mammal animal model. In fact, several SARS-CoV- 2 researchers are turning to rats. They are no more susceptible to COVID-19 than mice, but their larger size is an advantage, as, for example, researchers often want to do repetitive bleeding in an experiment but cannot do that with mice. Furthermore, as vaccine studies often assess how different doses affect antibody responses over several days, most toxicology studies of drugs also start in rat. To achieve intermittent infusions in most non-infectious disease research, the current prevailing administration modes for small animal research are manual (oral, intravenous, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous) requiring repeated handling by trained technicians. However, infectious disease researchers desire the least number of touchpoints possible with their infected animals, especially when sharp needles are involved The proposed FluidSync BSL3 system may aid the discovery of new treatments for COVID-19 by enabling candidate drugs to be administered to model animals infected with SARS-CoV-2 while minimizing investigator contact. It may also be used in the development of vaccines and antibodies. The system builds on the first and only wireless and tether-free administration system that can be used in animals as small as mice. The new system will have new capabilities including i) a medical-grade primary battery and ii) a programmable system-on-chip including Bluetooth telemetry transceiver, processor and memory. Ultimately, the FluidSync BSL3 microinfusion system would enable an intelligent instrumented vivarium system that addresses many BSL3 user requirements with benefits including increased productivity, reduced researcher exposure to potentially toxic drugs and disease vectors, ease of management of large-scale animal studies, and minimized animal handling to reduce white coat effects.