Tuning lidocaine delivery from latex elastrator rings

为了跟上人类与动物关系的变化，需要新的策略来控制阉割牛的疼痛。对年轻公牛进行阉割的一种常见方法是在动物的阴囊周围系上一根小橡皮筋（称为弹性体环）。这会切断血液供应，最终导致睾丸脱落。然而，与其他阉割方法一样，使用阉割环必然会给动物带来一些疼痛和不适。预计监管环境的变化——很快将强制要求在阉割过程中采用缓解疼痛的策略——奇努克合同研究公司（CCR）正在开发一种预加载了麻醉剂利多卡因的阉割器环。这种药物已经被批准用于食用动物，并且具有快速起效时间，可以在阉割过程中有效缓解疼痛。**目前与维多利亚大学Wulff研究小组的Engage合作将导致**优化药物装载程序，更好的检测药物释放的分析方法，以及**模拟动物方法来评估组织递送。这些进步将使CCR能够满足即将到来的专利截止日期，并在价值330亿美元的加拿大畜牧业中发挥越来越大的作用。

New strategies are required to control pain in cattle undergoing castration, in order to keep abreast of mankind's**changing relationships with animals.**A common method to effect castration of young bulls is to attach a small elastic band (called an elastrator ring)**around the animal's scrotum. This cuts off blood supply, which eventually leads to the loss of the testicles. As**with other methods of castration however, application of elastrator rings necessarily causes some pain and**discomfort to the animal. In anticipation of the changing regulatory landscape - which will soon mandate that**pain mitigation strategies be employed during castration - Chinook Contract Research (CCR) is developing a**version of elastrator rings that come pre-loaded with the anesthetic lidocaine. This drug is already approved for**use in food-producing animals, and has a fast onset time that will provide effective pain relief during the**castration procedure.**The current Engage partnership with the Wulff research group at the University of Victoria will result in the**optimization of the drug-loading procedure, better analytical methods to detect drug release, and a**mock-animal method to assess delivery to tissue. These advances will allow CCR to meet upcoming patent**deadlines and play an increasing role in the $33 billion Canadian cattle sector.