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Kenneth Dyar and Joanna Moore present applications of automated home cage activity monitoring and discuss how it can be used to improve animal welfare, optimise study design and drive animal behavior and physiology research.

Passive locomotor activity monitoring for real-time circadian study design
Kenneth Dyar, PhD
Circadian clocks are fundamental determinants of physiology, behavior and health. For skeletal muscle, the circadian clock promotes insulin sensitivity and orchestrates rhythms of glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. Physical activity synchronizes circadian clocks by altering body temperature and through distribution of various hormones and metabolites. Research suggests that misalignment of the ‘muscle clock’ plays an important pathophysiological role in metabolic disease. In this webinar, Dr. Kenneth Dyar will highlight some examples of how the DVC system can be used for locomotor activity monitoring in order to evaluate circadian alignment before, during or after various dietary and pharmacological interventions.

Using home-cage monitoring to determine the impact of timed mating on male mouse welfare
Joanna Moore, PhD, FIAT. R.An.Tech
The use of sterile male mice to induce pseudopregnancy in female mice assigned for the implantation of embryos is a vital component in the production of Genetically Altered Animals (GAA). This process involves swapping a genetically sterile male’s female companion for a new female. In this presentation, Dr. Joanna Moore will discuss the use of home cage activity monitoring to evaluate the potential impact of this procedure on the welfare of male mice and how the impact of this intervention may be reduced. All animal studies were ethically reviewed and carried out in accordance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and the GSK Policy on the Care, Welfare and Treatment of Animals.

Key topics will include…

• Using home cage activity as a readout for animal welfare

• Using locomotor activity to optimize methodology and validate study design in real-time

• Pre-study screening of cohorts for outliers