About the Telemetry Unit
The Telemetry Unit for Cardiovascular Phenotyping enables low-cost access for all researchers to telemetric recordings of blood pressure and/or ECG from conscious, freely moving mice and rats.
Physiology is center stage
We are faced with the enormous task of determining the functional consequences of the thousands of genetic variations that our colleagues in human genetics have identified during the last decade. A critical tool for performing this task is functional characterization of genetically modified animals, of divers disease-models as well as the evaluation of novel therapeutic strategies.
With the support of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, we have established a Telemetry Unit to provide easy access to basic cardiovascular phenotyping of rodents using modern and advanced equipment. The Telemetry Unit is accessible for all researchers across faculty, university and industrial affiliations.
The Telemetry Unit focuses on cardiovascular phenotyping of conscious rodents, where state-of-the-art equipment can be used for long-term, continuous recording of arterial blood pressure and electrocardiograms in freely moving mice and rats.
The Telemetry Unit will:
- Elevate the information from the genetic revolution to a physiological level
- Improve the scientific framework for staying healthy and combatting disease
- Facilitate cooperation across universities and the pharmaceutical industry
- Raise the welfare and reduce the number of research animals
Benefits of using the Telemetry Unit
We have state-of-the-art telemetry equipment that can monitor blood pressure and/or ECG from conscious, freely moving mice and rats. As an integral part of your research plan, this can help you studying cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology in rodents. You are enabled to effectively plan and advance your research project with the knowledge of how a genetic modification, a certain disease model, a novel therapeutic substance, etc. impacts cardiovascular parameters.
What we can do for you
Surgical intervention is necessary to implant a radiotransmitter (telemeter) either subcutaneously or intraabdominally, that will send data wirelessly to an antenna placed underneath the home cage of the animal.
According to the needs of your research project, an implant is used that can monitor intravascular blood pressure via a catheter placed in e.g. the abdominal aorta or the carotid artery. Or, a radiotransmitter that can monitor an ECG from subcutaneous leads is implanted.
We have the capacity to record from 8 mice and 8 rats simultaneously. We can provide help and advice on study design and data analysis.
Location
The infrastructure is imbedded at the University of Copenhagen. We are part of the Department of Biomedical Sciences. In 2016, the Department’s animal laboratories were refurbished, and a designated area for the infrastructure was planned. The area has the Faculty’s highest health status and quarantine regulations, allowing animals to be housed permanently in the infrastructure. This allows for veterinary oversight and services from the animal technicians of the Department of Experimental Medicine.
Steering group
A team of four people are running the infrastructure, they are presented in the Who are we-section.
A steering committee is assembled of key stakeholders:
- Professor Cord H Brakebusch, representing the Core Facility for Transgenic Mice at University of Copenhagen
- Professor Birgitte Holst, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen
- Chief administrator Anders Sondrup, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen
- Professor Christian Aalkjær, Aarhus University
- Principal Investigator, Tanja X Pedersen, Novo Nordisk
- Senior Director for Research and External Innovation, Rie Schultz Hansen, Zealand Pharma