2023-0539895 - In vitro system

Description

Our research focuses on understanding effective muscle regeneration and the mechanisms underlying its dysfunction during aging, in mice. Specifically, we are interested in investigating how the interplay between muscle stem cells and immune cells shapes the regeneration process during injury, both in young and old animals. The 1300B system from Aurora Scientific will be instrumental to measure muscle strength in vitro, in situ, and in vivo, an indicator of muscle function. This system will therefore enable us to study how pharmacological interventions that affect muscle stem cells or cells in the microenvironment modulates muscle function in response to injury. Lot 1: Classical assessments of muscle strength, e.g. treadmill test, voluntary running wheels, grip strength etc. are highly influenced by behavior, making it difficult to address the specific effects of the muscle itself. Also, it is not possible to assess individual muscles using these classical tests. With the purchase of the 1300B we will be able to study individual muscles in vitro and in situ, and muscle groups in vivo without interference from a behavioral component. The system must have the following specifications: • Capable of performing in vitro muscle tests in mice • Capable of performing in situ muscle tests in mice • Capable of performing in vivo muscle tests in mice • The system must be a streamlined platform able to perform all the above muscle tests • Bath chamber for in vitro tests • The main hardware components (a high-power, bi-phasic stimulator + Dual-Mode muscle lever system + data acquisition module) of the system should preferably have a small footprint • Intuitive and dedicated software able to control stimulation parameters, muscle tension, etc. • Software complete with customizable standard protocols • Dedicated analysis package with automatic high-throughput modules for standard muscle experiments • Available programming services for advanced data analysis