Biomeasurement scientists at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) announced on Wednesday that they had developed a device with which researchers can measure the signals from the brain and the heart of laboratory mice without dissecting the animals, which has been criticized as a cruel act of animal abuse. (Image: Kobiz Media)
DAEJEON, South Korea, Jun. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean research team has discovered a new technology which will allow animal testing on rodents to be conducted without dissection.
Biomeasurement scientists at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) announced on Wednesday that they had developed a device with which researchers can measure the signals from the brain and the heart of laboratory mice without dissecting the animals, which has been criticized as a cruel act of animal abuse.
By reducing the size of SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device) sensors, the South Korean researchers were able to develop a new magnetoencephalography device which can be used for small-sized lab animals.
Laboratory mice are used in over 96 percent of all animal tests conducted around the world, due to the similarities between their organ systems and those of humans.
However, the use of lab mice has also faced criticism for representing a form of animal abuse, as well as the occasional inaccuracy of the tests detected in the past.
Previously, to conduct an experiment to measure brainwaves, the upper part of the skull had to be removed from the animals, leaving room for an electrode to be inserted.
During the surgical procedure, erroneous brain reactions and bodily secretions could create anodization and disrupt the process of accurately measuring the brainwaves.
With the KRISS’s newly developed device, however, a similar system used on humans will be used for small-sized laboratory animals, which the researchers expect to be more accurate and humane than the previously practiced methods.
The magnetoencephalography device not only measures brainwaves, but can also be used on the heart to discover heart-related diseases such as Long-QT syndrome.
A South Korean research team has discovered a new technology which will allow animal testing on rodents to be conducted without dissection. (Image: KRISS)
As detecting disease in the early stages of research and development has been one of the common challenges facing developers in the medical industry, the new device is expected to be used in research for brain-related diseases as well as diagnosing brain and heart-related diseases in animals.
The findings from the KRISS study were published in the April edition of the international academic journal Review of Scientific Instruments.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
