Home-cage monitoring system for mice - Mouse Matrix

For a complete understanding of mouse phenotypes, it is important to monitor animal activity and behavior over long periods of time in the absence of external stimuli. Video-based systems allow researchers to leave the room and monitor the animals remotely, but this practice is not only costly, but also time- and labor-intensive since it relies on research staff fully dedicated to video interpretation – which also introduces experimenter bias. Temperature is another important biomarker for evaluating animal health and welfare. However, conventional temperature recording methods require frequent handling and the use of intrusive devices (i.e., rectal probes) that are stressful to the animals. Furthermore, it is difficult to accurately monitor animals without disturbance, in a group-housed setting, or at night when they are most active.

The UID Mouse Matrix was developed to address the challenges researchers currently face when evaluating temperature and activity in socially-housed mice. This novel RFID-enabled system allows for continuous and remote monitoring of digital biomarkers, such as locomotor activity and temperature, for one or multiple mice in their home-cage environment. The system can monitor group-housed mice in a completely undisturbed setting. Valuable research data can be collected automatically in real-time (24/7), even during the dark phase. In addition to removing experimenter bias, the UID Mouse Matrix can help improve study outcomes by permitting frequent and accurate measurements of progressive behavioral and physiological changes over time in the same animal. We partnered with the leading manufacturers of rodent housing systems (Allentown and Innovive) to enable remote monitoring capabilities with high-density IVC rack systems.

Benefits of home-cage monitoring system UID Matrix 

• Real-time monitoring of digital biomarkers (temperature and activity)
• Remote monitoring of group-housed mice over long periods
• Accurate tracking of individual animals within a group
• Evaluate rodent social interactions and home-cage behavior without human interference
• Objective monitoring of animal behavior during the dark phase
• Detect early disease onset and measure disease progression non-invasively
• Accurate measurement of progressive behavioral changes in the same animal
• Improve animal welfare by reducing animal handling and stress

Features of home-cage monitoring system UID Matrix

• High frequency readout - multiple antennas capture and report data as fast as every 100 milliseconds
• Six- or eight-zone reader plate configuration
• Stand alone system or networked for multiple cages on a rack
• Immediate access to data or exported to excel for further analysis
• Intuitive software for enhanced user experience
• Alerts for critical indicators or animal health and welfare
• Real-time census for all individual animals
• Single waterproof connection for power and communication