Project description
Mice monitoring for psychiatric drug development
Drug development for psychiatric and neurological disorders relies on effective preclinical testing, but current rodent models can be resource-intensive and unreliable. With the growing need for ethical assessments of central nervous system (CNS) drugs, particularly in light of the opioid crisis, an automated system for simultaneous analysis of multiple subjects is crucial for improving efficiency and accuracy. The ERC-funded HOMECAGE project will develop a platform for continuously monitoring multiple subjects in their natural social environments. This system will meet industry standards and focus on addiction liability and sucrose preference, key assays related to depression and anxiety. It will enable precise observation of co-housed mice, serving as a ‘behavioural microscope’ to enhance the analysis of rodent behaviour.
Objective
Drug development for psychiatric and neurological disorders requires extensive preclinical testing for validation of safety and efficacy. Preclinical investigation of Central Nervous System (CNS) - acting drugs is primarily performed using traditional lab assays in rodent models. These experiments are typically based on manual analysis of isolated subjects, requiring huge investment in lab animals and technicians for brief measurements. These preclinical experiments are consequently subject to multiple sources of noise, and experience failures in prediction of clinical efficacy and safety. The need therefore exists for a scalable and automated preclinical experimental system for continuous parallel analysis of multiple co-housed subjects.
To address this industry need, we will develop the HOMECAGE—a first-of-its-kind, automated platform for continuous and parallel monitoring of the performance of multiple subjects in their native social environment. We will adapt HOMECAGE to industry standards, including its expansion to a broad range of preclinical experimental paradigms, and perform a comprehensive investigation of the IP landscape and appropriate business strategies for commercialization.
Increased vigilance in assaying the abuse liability of CNS-acting drugs has erupted following the opioid crisis, exemplifying the industry need for efficient, effective and ethical methodologies for preclinical assessment. Addiction liability and sucrose preference, most relevant to depression and anxiety, are the primary preclinical assays on which project HOMECAGE will focus.
The breakthrough automated system provided by HOMECAGE will facilitate continuous and accurate simultaneous monitoring of co-housed mice, acting as a revolutionary ‘behavioral microscope’ for radically improved throughput and increased resolution in the preclinical analysis of rodent behavior.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
91904 Jerusalem
Israel
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