US 10,918,078 B1Granted

Electronic monitor for experimental animals

AssigneeRecursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

InventorsJonathan Noble Betts-Lacroix, Timothy Levi Robertson

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Abstract

An electronic monitor can monitor experimental animals in a cage. The cage has one or more walls that enclose a living space for the experimental animals. The electronic monitor is coupled to the cage. The electronic monitor may include a housing adapted to be mechanically coupled to the cage in a predefined position relative to the cage. A substantially sterile barrier is provided between the living space and the external environment in this coupled state. The walls of the cage may include a signal-interface section. An electromagnetic detector may be coupled to the housing to have a line-of-sight through the signal-interface section and into the living space of the cage. The electromagnetic detector is adapted to detect electromagnetic radiation that is transmitted through the signal-interface section. A controller processes a signal received from the electromagnetic detector to determine a status of the experimental animals or the living space.

An electronic monitor for monitoring one or more experimental animals in a cage in a rack when the electronic monitor is coupled to the cage in a predefined coupling position, the cage comprising one or more walls that enclose a living space for containing the one or more experimental animals, the walls forming a substantially sterile barrier that separates the living space from an environment external to the cage to substantially prevent external contamination of the living space when the electronic monitor is coupled to the cage, the cage having an air inlet and an air outlet, at least one of the walls of the cage comprising a signal-interface section, the electronic monitor comprising:

a housing adapted to be mechanically coupled to the cage to support an entirety of the cage, the housing being adapted to be in a predefined position relative to the cage when the electronic monitor is coupled to the cage and adapted to be mechanically supported by the rack, the housing having a first air channel to connect an air supply conduit of the rack to the air inlet of the cage and a second air channel to connect an air exhaust conduit of the rack to the air outlet of the cage;
an electromagnetic detector coupled to the housing at a predefined position, the predefined position remaining outside of the living space and having a line-of-sight through the signal-interface section and into the living space of the cage when the electronic monitor is coupled to the cage, the electromagnetic detector being adapted to detect electromagnetic radiation that is transmitted through the signal-interface section;
a user interface to receive an input from a human supervisor;
and
a controller to (1) receive a signal from the electromagnetic detector that relates to the detected electromagnetic radiation, (2) receive the input from the user interface, and (3) process one or more of the received signal and the human input to determine a status of the one or more experimental animals or the living space.

2 more elements

Abstract

Claims16