From Classic to Automated HomeCage Phenotyping

Date:   Wednesday August 29
Time:   10:00-12:10
Location:   Megaron

Organiser: Holger Russig (TSE Systems GmbH, Bad Homburg, Germany)

Abstract: During the past decade several automated systems have been designed and developed for an integrated high-throughput phenotyping of genetically modified mice. Several projects (including European Projects) have produced extensive  archives  of  mouse  mutant  lines,  that  are  held  worldwide  as  ES  cells,  frozen sperms or embryos, and will be available for use by the wider scientific community as tools for genome annotation and as models of a variety of human diseases. However, the next and necessary step, which will add immense value to these collections, will be the accurate determination of behavioral,  physiological  and  metabolic  phenotypes  using these automated systems which can result in potential new animal models. Thus, comprehensive phenotyping of thousands of mutant or transgenic mouse lines will be an immense effort, requiring input from many laboratories and mouse clinics across the world.   For  the  process  of  phenotyping  to  be  comparable  across  strains  and  between  centers  it would  be  absolutely  necessary  to  develop  and  validate  Standard  Operating  Procedures (SOPs) combined with attempts to improve inter-laboratory comparability.  In parallel, efficiency of such standardized screens needs to increase dramatically. The goal of this symposium is to summarize results of high-throughput phenotyping by using standardized protocols in novel high-throughput automated home cage environments allowing single or group-housing of animals. Speakers will present results and conclusions on different aspects automated  phenotyping of motoric and cognitive function.

Program:
10:00   Combining Classical and Automated Neurophenotyping in Mice and Rats
  S. von Hörsten, A.-C. Plank, Y. Urbach, and F. Canneva
  Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.

10:20  A SWOT Analysis on Automating “Measuring Behaviour”
  B.M. Spruijt, and R.C. de Heer
  Delta Phenomics, Utrecht, The Netherlands.  
  Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

10:40  Coffee break

11:10   Comparison of Home-Cage Activity Systems Using Transgenic Mouse Lines and  Pharmacological Interventions
  L. Robinson, and G. Riedel
  University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom.

11:30   Home-cage Automated Cognitive Phenotyping in Mice
  Valter Tucci
  Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.

11:50  Mouse Phenotyping in the IntelliCage: From Spontaneous Behavior to Cognitive  
  Function
  D.P. Wolfer (1,2), V Voikar (3) , E. Vannoni (1), G. Colacicco (1), and H.P. Lipp (1)
  1 University of Zurich, Zurich, Switserland.
  2 ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switserland.
  3 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

12:10  End of session