DSI Monitor Fall 2016

  • Special guest from Australia! Visitors Welcome!

    On October 11, DSI had the pleasure to welcome Dorota Ferens from Monash University in Australia.

    Dorota visited the U.S. to present her work on blood pressure and renal function in hypertensive mice at the Council on Hypertension 2016 Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Florida. She was fortunate to extend her time in the U.S. on vacation with her family; DSI was fortunate that Dorota took the opportunity during her travels, to visit DSI Headquarters in Minnesota.  Dorota had a very full agenda during her visit. It began with a tour of our production facility to view how the mouse pressure implants Dorota uses in her research are made. She was impressed that each implant was handmade and subject to rigorous quality standards. 

    In addition, Dorota met with Dr. Megan Fine, DVM, to discuss surgical “tips and tricks”; they discussed how to improve current DSI products and brainstormed future ideas with the R&D Engineering team, and was able to meet our Client Services and Technical Support teams.

    Megan Dorota Troy
    Dr. Megan Fine, Dorota Ferens, Troy Velie.

    Dorota gave a 30 minute presentation to a larger group of DSI colleagues. She explained how her lab in the Department of Pharmacology is developing models of experimental hypertension in mice to investigate the immune system on the development and complications surrounding high blood pressure. Dorota’s passion for designing robust studies and teaching young investigators the value of good science was evident.

    It was a great learning experience for Dorota and DSI colleagues. Thank you Dorota for taking the time to visit!

    We welcome any of our customers to visit us in Minnesota. If you are interested in arranging a visit, please contact your local DSI representative.
  • Customer Advisory Board

    The DSI Customer Advisory Board (CAB) is made up of researchers who are leaders in their respective fields and have experience with DSI’s products. DSI formed the CAB in 2013 to get direct perspectives on DSI’s strategy and products from customers; the CAB has helped DSI select areas for strategic growth and shaped how recent products were introduced to the market. The CAB currently has 13 members representing pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations, and academic research. CAB members use DSI products in disciplines such as cardiovascular safety, metabolism, respiratory mechanics, infectious diseases and neurophysiology. The CAB chairperson is Dr. Stephane Milano, founder of Double Strand, a preclinical R&D consulting firm. Dr. Milano has extensive history in CROs and has used DSI technology for 20 years. The following paragraphs were written by Dr. Milano.

    Milano
    Dr. Stephane Milano

    I have worked in the field of preclinical research and in preclinical CROs for more than 15 years. The research tools provided by DSI have accompanied my professional life since the beginning of my career.

    DSI has greatly improved my research,but most of all DSI also impacts the research of my clients, providing solutions adjusted for each of our challenges. (And heaven knows how many there are when you are working for a preclinical CRO!) Although tailored and innovative, these solutions were always delivered with the level of suitability and reliability which are expected and required by our professional community.

    Thus, three years ago, when DSI asked me to be part of their Customer Advisory Board (CAB), I immediately jumped on board! I knew I would join a group of talented researchers that are leaders in their respective fields and have experience with DSI’s products. DSI formed this group to get direct perspectives from customers, and the CAB is helping DSI to select areas for strategic growth and shaped how recent products were introduced to the market. 

    Recently, DSI offered me the opportunity to serve the CAB as Chairman. I’m very proud, privileged and honoured to take on this role. I am thrilled to get the opportunity to animate and coordinate the work of such a strong team, whose mission is to assist DSI in the development of tomorrow’s products, and even better, serving all of us as customers.
  • Happy Retirement Dr. Kramer!

    Klaas 
    Animal research and animal welfare go hand in hand. To obtain quality and reproducible in vivo data, experimental animals should be in optimum conditions:  No or low level of stress, under no pain from any source, well-adjusted to their housing environment.

    This may seem obvious today, but several researchers have dedicated a lifetime to get us here. One researcher who deserves special recognition is Dr. Klaas Kramer from the Netherlands.

    It all started back in the early 90’s. While conducting a cardiotoxicity study using a mouse model, Dr. Kramer came across a publication from Canada that was doing a similar study but using telemetry in large animals. Hoping to develop a smaller version of the device, Dr. Kramer sought the help of DSI’s founder, Brian Brockway. Together, they successfully implanted the first mouse with an ECG telemetry implant in Amsterdam in 1991. The rest is a wonderful 25-year history with Klaas exploring ways to best utilize telemetry in mice, rats, guinea-pigs and even in a gold fish! Besides his own research, Klaas educated countless veterinary technicians around the world and shared knowledge on how to most effectively implant and use DSI’s telemetric sensors. Together with DSI, Klaas held surgical workshops at the AALAS conference for 16 years. 

    During the latter part of his career, Klaas was the Animal Welfare Officer at Vrije University in Amsterdam, and conducted research to optimize laboratory rodents’ transportation conditions.
  • Legacy for DSI and In Vivo Research


    Dusty Sarazan, Chief Scientific Officer at DSI, retired at the end of June. While spending  nearly three decades working to advance science, Dusty made countless contributions to the industry. Dusty was a co-founder of the Safety Pharmacology Society, published many papers in highly regarded scientific journals and trained many scientists throughout his career, leaving a mark on the younger generation. Dusty was incredibly committed to educating the industry on the history of in vivo instrumentation and its contribution to science. If you were fortunate enough to see his talk “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants,” you witnessed his great passion. Since leaving DSI, Dusty has settled in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and is enjoying the great outdoors and spending more time with his wife of nearly 45 years, Leslie. For our organization, Dusty left a lasting impression. His energy for advancing science, commitment to animal welfare and excitement for new technology is ingrained in our team. Thank you Dusty and best wishes for a relaxing, fun retirement!
  • Meet the Scientific Applications Team

    DSI recently formed the Scientific Application team, a small group of former research scientists. This group works closely with a number of departments at DSI to assist in achieving a higher level of application knowledge and confidence in DSI solutions. Likewise, the team works with scientists to better understand the research environment, its approaches, and challenges.

    Working with key opinion leaders, this team is available to refine and suggest new application approaches, study design, and cross-discipline initiatives. In an ever-changing industry, DSI believes science should be the primary driver for the development of new products, services, and solutions. Collaboration that benefits research interests globally is a primary objective. Often representing DSI at scientific meetings, individual face-to-face meetings at research facilities are taking place as well. Be on the lookout, as your local Sales Representative may have an opportunity to introduce you to a member of this team.

    mike_girand
    Mike Girand
    Manager, Scientific Applications


    Since joining DSI in 2007, responsibilities have included product management, technical and application support, and sales. Prior to DSI, Mike was a Research Scientist and Study Director at Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis and Pfizer in Ann Arbor, MI for 12 years. While there, he had the opportunity to work in a variety of departments including Cardiovascular Pharmacology, General Toxicology, and Safety Pharmacology. In 1992, Mike received his undergraduate degree in Zoology at Michigan State University and in 2005 completed his MBA at the University of Phoenix. His areas of interest include respiratory and cardiovascular hardwired applications.

    Mike is an active member of two sub-committees in the Safety Pharmacology Society. He is also a member of both the American Thoracic Society and the Michigan Thoracic Society.

    brad_main
    Bradley Main
    Research Fellow


    Bradley received his Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University majoring in Zoology with minors in Animal Science and Chemistry. He earned his MS from Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine. Twenty-five years at Eli Lilly have resulted in a tremendous amount of research experience including hypertension, blood coagulation models, and safety assessment. He served on multiple drug development teams and was both a Study Director and Toxicology Project Leader. In 2008, Bradley joined Covance and led the cardiovascular telemetry group. He joined DSI in 2011 to help launch DSI’s Scientific Services group and is now a member of the Scientific Application Team, acting as the ‘scientific voice’ for DSI.

    Bradley is a member of the Safety Pharmacology Society, a full member of the American College of Toxicology, a member of American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and a member of the American Heart Association. He serves as a member of several ILSI/HESI working groups related to cardiovascular science.

    stefano_gaburro
    Stefano Gaburro, PhD.
    Account Manager & Application Scientist

    Stefano joined DSI in 2012 as account manager for Germany, Netherlands and Denmark. Since 2016, he has received an adjunct position as an Application Scientist with the scope to refine approaches for a best use of DSI solutions. Prior to joining DSI, Stefano has performed 8 years of academic work in the field of neuropsychopharmacology. In that period, he developed several animal models of psychiatric disorders in conjunction with the characterization of physiological biomarkers (e.g. Heart Rate Variability) for a better description of the models. His main interests are behavioral models, neural activity and the cardiovascular system.

    Stefano is an active member of the American Physiological Society- CNS Steering Committee Section. He has served as reviewer for PlosOne, British Journal of Pharmacology and Genes Brain and Behavior. Stefano also hosts a group on LinkedIn focused on CNS research.

    If you are interested in joining visit https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8463928
  • Publication Spotlight

    Fully Implantable Arterial Blood Glucose Device for Metabolic Research
    Learn more about cutting edge implantable glucose solution in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology. This free article explains the advantages of data quality and quantity when using implantable glucose telemetry versus alternative blood sampling solutions. http://dst.sagepub.com/content/9/4/771

    Respiratory Research for Asthma
    Asthma is a disorder that causes the airways of the lungs to swell and narrow, leading to wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing. Asthma affects a staggering 8% of the world’s population and there is no cure. Primary endpoints of interest include respiratory rate, peak flows, and resistance; all are contributors to determining levels of bronchoconstriction. DSI solutions are helping researchers learn more about how to treat asthma. Visit www.datasci.com/asthma to see more than 2,800 asthma-related articles citing DSI respiratory solutions.

    Early Physiological Marker in Alzheimer Mouse Model
    Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive loss of memory and orientation, potentially leading to death. Histological hallmarks for Alzheimer’s are the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides and amyloid precursor proteins (APP). Among the 100 animal AD models characterized, the APPswePS1dE9 mouse model is studied in this publication. This model is of interest as it develops plaque at a later stage and resembles epileptic activity occurring in some elderly AD patients.

    Researchers from the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices use DSI EEG telemetry (TL11M2-F20-EET) and NeuroScore software to focus on two specific characteristics associated with AD:
    • Presence of epilepsy events in this specific mouse model
    • Dysrhythmia in theta and gamma band by means of quantitative EEG

    Their findings in unrestrained, chronically recorded mice indicated:
    • (for the first time), a complex gender-specific and age-dependent epileptic seizure architecture in APPswePS1dE9 mice
    • A decrease in theta and increase in gamma happening sooner in male mice (14 weeks of age) than in female. Additionally, the alteration of EEG frequencies component in female mice happened at resting state suggesting a reduction in atropine-sensitive type II theta in APPswePS1dE9 animals

    The authors suggest that gender specific central dysrhythmia and network alteration could serve in the future as a physiological biomarker for an early AD detection.

    “Gender-Specific Hippocampal Dysrhythmia and Aberrant Hippocampal and Cortical Excitability in the APPswePS1dE9 Model of Alzheimer’s Disease.”
  • Product News

    Ponemah v6.30 now available!
    After ongoing customer consultation and development, DSI is excited to offer our newest Ponemah version to the research community! Thanks to all those that assisted in trials and feedback along the way.

    Below is a list of new features to support your research:
    • Parameter Viewer – Quick assessment of study-long parameter data
    • MS Excel® Pivot Compatible Tables – Simplify and eliminate data summarization errors and get easier importing to 3rd party reporting tools
    • Data Insights Compatibility – Add the latest analysis module to your system to quickly locate and visualize data sections with morphology variations and automatically detect cardiac arrhythmias
    ParameterViewer

    Social Housing Solutions

    Furthering our commitment to improving animal welfare, DSI introduced two new technologies supporting small animal studies in socially housed environments:

    Anipill
    The Anipill system offers temperature data collection, logged or in real-time, from socially housed small animal models, including mice, rats, guinea pigs, and more.
    This portable solution collects data automatically and its simple set-up procedure
    helps you start your studies sooner.

    HD-S11-F2
    The HD-S11 now supports pair housing in small animal models where cardiovascular endpoints are needed. Researchers can now simultaneously collect pressure, biopotential, temperature, and activity data continuously and in real-time from two small animals in a single cage.

    The HD-S11-F2 and Anipill join PhysioTel Digital and our 4ET implant to provide social housing solutions for research studies involving animals from mice to non-human primates in numerous applications.

    Coming Soon… Wider EEG Bandwidth!

    In early 2017 DSI will be releasing PhysioTel HD versions of the F20-EET and F40-EET. Not only will the HD-X02 and S02 be smaller and lighter than their predecessors, but will also have increased bandwidth. The HD-X02 and HD-S02 will enable scientists to extract more information from their EEG on the low (delta) and the high (gamma) frequency range.
  • Tools You Can Use

    DSI Gateway
    Are you aware that we offer the DSI Gateway from our website? This gateway provides you with access to:
    • Software and Firmware updates
    • Scientific Posters and Papers
    • Product return information for a simpler process to Exchange and Repair transmitters

    Simply log on to the DSI website at www.datasci.com, click on Resources and DSI Gateway Portal. Log into the Portal using your username and password. If you do not have a username and password, you can register for one. You will need to know your account number to register. If you do not know your account number, please contact DSI Client Services (CustomerService@datasci.com) for assistance.

    Free Webinar: Combining Cardiovascular, Respiratory, and Neurobehavioral Endpoints for Efficient Study Design


    An essential webinar for preclinical scientists that wish to learn how to integrate hemodynamic, respiratory and neurological measurements to study multiple biological systems simultaneously while benefiting from more efficient data collection and workflow in the laboratory is available.

    Key topics covered during this webinar include:
    • Combination study challenges and how to address them
    • How to handle increased data input and extract valuable information
    • Leveraging combination study design to reduce animal numbers and overall experimentation time
    • Evaluating cardiopulmonary and neurobehavioral endpoints

    View the webinar recording at InsideScientific.com.
  • DSI Cares

    DSI has a long tradition of support for the communities we serve through volunteerism, financial support and commitment to causes for the betterment of humanity.

    DSI volunteers monthly at Second Harvest Heartland, a member of Feeding America which supports hunger relief in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. On October 8, DSI members packed 8,000 pounds of potatoes, and a group of 7 packed 4,788 pounds of apples in early November!

    DSIcares
    Brad Main, Jennifer Doyle, Brandon Shuler, Sara Kruper, Brianne Aeikens, Cheryl Carlson, Jami Gray.

    Another way DSI is giving back to the community is through the donation of winter gear. The donation drive ended October 31. We gathered and donated 51 coats, 40 hats and one scarf!

    To learn more about DSI’s community involvement visit the “About DSI” section of  datasci.com
  • Frequently Asked Questions

    Q: Do I need to use a suture rib to secure the transmitter body to the body wall?
    A: The HD product line utilizes an external suture rib made of a flexible material that has been demonstrated to be effective in securing the transmitter body to the body wall. The suture rib is optional and is not needed nor recommended when subcutaneous placement of the device is desired. In order for the suture rib to perform optimally, we recommend reading the technote available at datasci.com entitled “Proper Techniques for Maximizing the use of Suture Rib.”

    Q: Can I see a scatterplot of just a portion of my data?
    A: Yes! You can highlight a section of data in the derived parameter table, then drag to an existing scatterplot; the scatterplot will update to show the section of data just highlighted. Scatterplots can also be color-coded based on event markers, allowing you to visually highlight potential differences before and after an event.
    scatterplot

    Q: Does Ponemah have ‘hotkeys’?
    A: Yes! And they can help speed up your analysis process. See the technote “Ponemah Hotkeys Mapping Guide” for details.
  • Upcoming Events

    • Society for Neuroscience 2016 • Dates: 12 – 16 Nov, 2016
    • Glucose Clamp Course Event • Dates: 28 Nov – 02 Dec, 2016
    • 2017 DSI User Group Meeting • Dates: 16-17 March, 2017

    The next European DSI User Group Meeting will be held in Reims, France. At the heart of the Champagne region, Reims is easily accessible from Paris downtown or Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport via a 45 minute train ride. Look for two exciting days of scientific and technical exchanges. Stay tuned at https://www.datasci.com/all-events