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Berridge BR, Baran SW, Kumar V, Bratcher-Petersen N, Ellis M, Liu CN, Robertson TL. Digitalization of toxicology: improving preclinical to clinical translation. FRONTIERS IN TOXICOLOGY 2024; 6:1377542. [PMID: 38605940 PMCID: PMC11007025 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2024.1377542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Though the portfolio of medicines that are extending and improving the lives of patients continues to grow, drug discovery and development remains a challenging business on its best day. Safety liabilities are a significant contributor to development attrition where the costliest liabilities to both drug developers and patients emerge in late development or post-marketing. Animal studies are an important and influential contributor to the current drug discovery and development paradigm intending to provide evidence that a novel drug candidate can be used safely and effectively in human volunteers and patients. However, translational gaps-such as toxicity in patients not predicted by animal studies-have prompted efforts to improve their effectiveness, especially in safety assessment. More holistic monitoring and "digitalization" of animal studies has the potential to enrich study outcomes leading to datasets that are more computationally accessible, translationally relevant, replicable, and technically efficient. Continuous monitoring of animal behavior and physiology enables longitudinal assessment of drug effects, detection of effects during the animal's sleep and wake cycles and the opportunity to detect health or welfare events earlier. Automated measures can also mitigate human biases and reduce subjectivity. Reinventing a conservative, standardized, and traditional paradigm like drug safety assessment requires the collaboration and contributions of a broad and multi-disciplinary stakeholder group. In this perspective, we review the current state of the field and discuss opportunities to improve current approaches by more fully leveraging the power of sensor technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and animal behavior in a home cage environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Vivek Kumar
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, United States
| | | | - Michael Ellis
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, United States
| | - Chang-Ning Liu
- Drug Safety Research and Development, Pfizer, Groton, CT, United States
| | - Timothy L. Robertson
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, United States
- TLR Ventures, Redwood City, CA, United States
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Fares R, Champéroux P. Simultaneous assessment of central nervous and respiratory systems using jacketed telemetry in socially-housed rats: Application of the "3Rs" principles in core battery safety pharmacology studies. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods 2023; 121:107268. [PMID: 37146838 DOI: 10.1016/j.vascn.2023.107268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Central nervous (CNS) and respiratory systems are routinely investigated in safety pharmacology core battery studies. For small molecules, the assessment of both vital organ systems is frequently done in rats in two distinct studies. With the advent of a miniaturized technology of jacketed external telemetry for rats (DECRO system), the simultaneous assessment of modified Irwin's or functional observational battery (FOB) test and respiratory (Resp) studies has become possible within a single study. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to perform the FOB and the Resp studies simultaneously in pair-housed rats fitted with jacketed telemetry, and to assess the feasibility and the outcome of this combination in control, baclofen, caffeine, and clonidine treated groups, i.e., with three agents having both respiratory and CNS effects. Our results provided evidence that performing both Resp and FOB assessment simultaneously in the same rat was feasible and the outcome was successful. The expected CNS and respiratory effects of the 3 reference compounds were accurately captured in each assay confirming the results' relevance. In addition, heart rate and activity level were recorded as additional parameters making this design as an enhanced approach for nonclinical safety assessment in rats. This work provides clear evidence that the "3Rs" principles can be effectively applied in core battery safety pharmacology studies while remaining in compliance with worldwide regulatory guidelines. Both reduction in animal use and refinements in procedures are demonstrated with this model.
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Nunez-Badinez P, De Leo B, Laux-Biehlmann A, Hoffmann A, Zollner TM, Saunders PT, Simitsidellis I, Charrua A, Cruz F, Gomez R, Tejada MA, McMahon SB, Lo Re L, Barthas F, Vincent K, Birch J, Meijlink J, Hummelshoj L, Sweeney PJ, Armstrong JD, Treede RD, Nagel J. Preclinical models of endometriosis and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: an Innovative Medicines Initiative-PainCare initiative to improve their value for translational research in pelvic pain. Pain 2021; 162:2349-2365. [PMID: 34448751 PMCID: PMC8374713 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Endometriosis (ENDO) and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) are chronic pain conditions for which better treatments are urgently needed. Development of new therapies with proven clinical benefit has been slow. We have conducted a review of existing preclinical in vivo models for ENDO and IC/BPS in rodents, discussed to what extent they replicate the phenotype and pain experience of patients, as well as their relevance for translational research. In 1009 publications detailing ENDO models, 41% used autologous, 26% syngeneic, 18% xenograft, and 11% allogeneic tissue in transplantation models. Intraperitoneal injection of endometrial tissue was the subcategory with the highest construct validity score for translational research. From 1055 IC/BPS publications, most interventions were bladder centric (85%), followed by complex mechanisms (8%) and stress-induced models (7%). Within these categories, the most frequently used models were instillation of irritants (92%), autoimmune (43%), and water avoidance stress (39%), respectively. Notably, although pelvic pain is a hallmark of both conditions and a key endpoint for development of novel therapies, only a small proportion of the studies (models of ENDO: 0.5%-12% and models of IC/BPS: 20%-44%) examined endpoints associated with pain. Moreover, only 2% and 3% of publications using models of ENDO and IC/BPS investigated nonevoked pain endpoints. This analysis highlights the wide variety of models used, limiting reproducibility and translation of results. We recommend refining models so that they better reflect clinical reality, sharing protocols, and using standardized endpoints to improve reproducibility. We are addressing this in our project Innovative Medicines Initiative-PainCare/Translational Research in Pelvic Pain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bianca De Leo
- Bayer AG, Research & Development, Pharmaceuticals, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Anja Hoffmann
- Bayer AG, Research & Development, Pharmaceuticals, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Philippa T.K. Saunders
- Centre for Inflammation Research, The University of Edinburgh, Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Ioannis Simitsidellis
- Centre for Inflammation Research, The University of Edinburgh, Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Ana Charrua
- I3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, and Faculty of Medicine of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Francisco Cruz
- I3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, and Faculty of Medicine of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Raul Gomez
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria INCLIVA, Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Stephen B. McMahon
- Neurorestoration Group, Wolfson Centre for Age Related Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Laure Lo Re
- Neurorestoration Group, Wolfson Centre for Age Related Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Katy Vincent
- Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Judy Birch
- Pelvic Pain Support Network, Poole, United Kingdom
| | - Jane Meijlink
- International Painful Bladder Foundation, Naarden, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - J. Douglas Armstrong
- Actual Analytics, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Rolf-Detlef Treede
- Department of Neurophysiology, Centre for Biomedicine and Medical Technology Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Jens Nagel
- Bayer AG, Research & Development, Pharmaceuticals, Berlin, Germany
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Nunamaker EA, Davis S, O’Malley CI, Turner PV. Developing Recommendations for Cumulative Endpoints and Lifetime Use for Research Animals. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11072031. [PMID: 34359161 PMCID: PMC8300189 DOI: 10.3390/ani11072031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Research animals are important for scientific advancement, and therefore, their long-term welfare needs to be monitored to not only minimize suffering, but to provide positive affective states and experiences. Currently, there is limited guidance in countries around the world on cumulative and experimental endpoints. This paper aims to explore current opinions and institutional strategies regarding cumulative use and endpoints through a scoping survey and review of current regulations and welfare assessment tools, and ultimately to provide recommendations for assessment of cumulative and lifetime use of research animals. The survey found that only 36% of respondents indicated that their institution had cumulative use endpoint policies in place, but these policies may be informal and/or vary by species. Most respondents supported more specific guidelines but expressed concerns about formal policies that may limit their ability to make case-by-case decisions. The wide diversity in how research animals are used makes it difficult for specific policies to be implemented. Endpoint decisions should be made in an objective manner using standardized welfare assessment tools. Future research should focus on robust, efficient welfare assessment tools that can be used to support planning and recommendations for cumulative endpoints and lifetime use of research and teaching animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Nunamaker
- Animal Care Services, University of Florida, 1600 Archer Rd, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA;
| | - Shawn Davis
- Animal Care Services, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St Catherines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada;
| | - Carly I. O’Malley
- Global Animal Welfare and Training, Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, MA 01887, USA
| | - Patricia V. Turner
- Global Animal Welfare and Training, Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, MA 01887, USA
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
- Correspondence:
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Mingrone A, Kaffman A, Kaffman A. The Promise of Automated Home-Cage Monitoring in Improving Translational Utility of Psychiatric Research in Rodents. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:618593. [PMID: 33390898 PMCID: PMC7773806 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.618593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Large number of promising preclinical psychiatric studies in rodents later fail in clinical trials, raising concerns about the efficacy of this approach to generate novel pharmacological interventions. In this mini-review we argue that over-reliance on behavioral tests that are brief and highly sensitive to external factors play a critical role in this failure and propose that automated home-cage monitoring offers several advantages that will increase the translational utility of preclinical psychiatric research in rodents. We describe three of the most commonly used approaches for automated home cage monitoring in rodents [e.g., operant wall systems (OWS), computerized visual systems (CVS), and automatic motion sensors (AMS)] and review several commercially available systems that integrate the different approaches. Specific examples that demonstrate the advantages of automated home-cage monitoring over traditional tests of anxiety, depression, cognition, and addiction-like behaviors are highlighted. We conclude with recommendations on how to further expand this promising line of preclinical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfred Mingrone
- Department of Psychology, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Ayal Kaffman
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Arie Kaffman
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
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Mitchell EJ, Brett RR, Armstrong JD, Sillito RR, Pratt JA. Temporal dissociation of phencyclidine: Induced locomotor and social alterations in rats using an automated homecage monitoring system - implications for the 3Rs and preclinical drug discovery. J Psychopharmacol 2020; 34:709-715. [PMID: 32438848 PMCID: PMC7675779 DOI: 10.1177/0269881120920455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rodent behavioural assays are widely used to delineate the mechanisms of psychiatric disorders and predict the efficacy of drug candidates. Conventional behavioural paradigms are restricted to short time windows and involve transferring animals from the homecage to unfamiliar apparatus which induces stress. Additionally, factors including environmental perturbations, handling and the presence of an experimenter can impact behaviour and confound data interpretation. To improve welfare and reproducibility these issues must be resolved. Automated homecage monitoring offers a more ethologically relevant approach with reduced experimenter bias. AIM To evaluate the effectiveness of an automated homecage system at detecting locomotor and social alterations induced by phencyclidine (PCP) in group-housed rats. PCP is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist commonly utilised to model aspects of schizophrenia. METHODS Rats housed in groups of three were implanted with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. Each homecage was placed over a RFID reader baseplate for the automated monitoring of the social and locomotor activity of each individual rat. For all rats, we acquired homecage data for 24 h following administration of both saline and PCP (2.5 mg/kg). RESULTS PCP resulted in significantly increased distance travelled from 15 to 60 min post injection. Furthermore, PCP significantly enhanced time spent isolated from cage mates and this asociality occured from 60 to 105 min post treatment. CONCLUSIONS Unlike conventional assays, in-cage monitoring captures the temporal duration of drug effects on multiple behaviours in the same group of animals. This approach could benefit psychiatric preclinical drug discovery through improved welfare and increased between-laboratory replicability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma J Mitchell
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK,Emma J Mitchell, Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral St, Glasgow, G4 0RE, UK.
| | - Ros R Brett
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - J Douglas Armstrong
- School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK,Actual Analytics Ltd, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Judith A Pratt
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
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Xia W, Veljkovic E, Koshibu K, Peitsch MC, Hoeng J. Neurobehavioral effects of selected tobacco constituents in rodents following subchronic administration. Eur J Pharmacol 2019; 865:172809. [PMID: 31738931 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2019.172809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Revised: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Bidirectional correlations between cigarette smoking and affective disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia, are well documented. These findings have led to substantial investigations into the effects of the major tobacco alkaloid, nicotine, and to a lesser extent, of other tobacco constituents, on the central nervous system (CNS). However, systematic profiling of the neuropharmacological effects of tobacco constituents is limited. To elucidate the effects of selected tobacco constituents on the CNS, we used the SmartCube® system, which captures and classifies behavioral features of compound-treated mice, to profile the psychiatric drugs-like properties of previously reported neuroactive tobacco compounds in mice. Daily intraperitoneal injection of nicotine (0.5 and 1 mg/kg/day) and anatabine (5 mg/kg/day) for 7 days produced antidepressant-like behavioral SmartCube® signatures in mice, and these results were supported by the improved active coping responses in the forced swim tests. Conversely, ferulic acid did not show any identifiable class signatures in the SmartCube® tests, but rather displayed subclass signatures associated with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. In novel object recognition memory test in rats, ferulic acid improved memory after 7 days of subcutaneous injection at 0.3 or 3 mg/kg/day. These results support previous findings showing the antidepressant drug-like effects of nicotine and the nootropic effects of ferulic acid. This is also the first report on the antidepressant drug-like effects of anatabine in rodents. This study provides a systemic behavioral evaluation of tobacco alkaloids and further insights into the association between affective disorders and smoking incidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhao Xia
- PMI R&D, Philip Morris International Research Laboratories Pte. Ltd., 50 Science Park Road, The Kendall #02-07, Science Park II, 117406, Singapore.
| | - Emilija Veljkovic
- PMI R&D, Philip Morris Products S.A., Quai Jeanrenaud 5, CH-2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Kyoko Koshibu
- PMI R&D, Philip Morris Products S.A., Quai Jeanrenaud 5, CH-2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Manuel C Peitsch
- PMI R&D, Philip Morris Products S.A., Quai Jeanrenaud 5, CH-2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Julia Hoeng
- PMI R&D, Philip Morris Products S.A., Quai Jeanrenaud 5, CH-2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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Jackson SJ, Authier S, Brohmann H, Goody SM, Jones D, Prior H, Rosch A, Traebert M, Tse K, Valentin JP, Milne A. Neurofunctional test batteries in safety pharmacology – Current and emerging considerations for the drug development process. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods 2019; 100:106602. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vascn.2019.106602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Variability of non-clinical behavioral CNS safety assessment: An intercompany comparison. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods 2019; 99:106571. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vascn.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Redfern WS, Dymond A, Strang I, Storey S, Grant C, Marks L, Barnard C, Heys C, Moyser K, Greenwood K, Cobey D, Moore N, Karp NA, Prior H. The functional observational battery and modified Irwin test as global neurobehavioral assessments in the rat: Pharmacological validation data and a comparison of methods. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods 2019; 98:106591. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vascn.2019.106591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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