Monday, December 14, 2015

Happy holidays from emka & SCIREQ!

From all of us at emka TECHNOLOGIES & SCIREQ, we want to thank you for trusting us to help achieve your scientific research goals. We wish you all the best for 2016 and look forward to working together in the New Year.

Best wishes,
Your emka TECHNOLOGIES & SCIREQ team

Holiday office hours

emka TECHNOLOGIES S.A.S. (Paris, France)
Closed from Thursday December 24th to Friday January 1st.

emka TECHNOLOGIES Inc. (Falls Church, VA, U.S.A.)
Closed on Friday December 25th and Friday January 1st only. Open all other days.

SCIREQ Scientific Respiratory Equipment Inc. (Montreal, QC, Canada)
Closed from Friday December 25th to Friday January 1st.

Friday, November 27, 2015

When Variability is a Good Thing

Although mechanical ventilation is used to sustain life of severely ill patients who are unable to breathe on their own, it does not always do so without side-effects. A common risk associated with mechanical ventilation is the development of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), which can worsen the already impaired patient’s condition.

A proven strategy for treating and preventing VILI is to use variable ventilation over conventional mechanical ventilation, which is based on the delivery of a fixed volume of air at a set frequency. Under this approach, breath-by-breath tidal volume and breathing frequency variations are applied while minute ventilation is kept constant. The objective of variable ventilation profiles is to prevent a repeated over inflation and over distension of the severely ill patient’s limited open lung areas, which is believed to be associated with the development of VILI. Variable ventilation has been shown to improve respiratory mechanics by increasing compliance and to ameliorate alveolar gas exchange.(1, 2)

Being a highly programmable computer-controlled piston ventilator, the flexiVent is the ideal tool for preclinical studies intended to employ variable ventilation or study its effects. Breath-by-breath changes in any ventilation settings can seamlessly be applied through a script automation created in the flexiWare operating software. In addition, detailed measurements of respiratory mechanics can easily be combined with any ventilation profile applied without extra effort or the need to move the subject to a different device.

Ventilation parameters that can be modified on breath-by-breath basis through scripting:

  • Respiratory rate
  • Tidal volume
  • Inspiratory/Expiratory ratio
  • Positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP)
  • Maximum pressure

    Please contact us to find out how you can apply variable ventilation to your research.

    References

    1Arold, Stephen P., et al. "Variable tidal volume ventilation improves lung mechanics and gas exchange in a rodent model of acute lung injury." American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 165.3 (2002): 366-371.
    2Berry, Clare A., et al. "Variable ventilation enhances ventilation without exacerbating injury in preterm lambs with respiratory distress syndrome." Pediatric research 72.4 (2012): 384-392.
  • Tuesday, November 17, 2015

    Thank you for meeting us at AHA in Orlando!

    Our team is now back in the office after the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions last week in Orlando. It was a wonderful forum to meet with existing customers and researchers interested in techniques to assess both cardiovascular and respiratory measurements in a preclinical setting.

    Didn't attend the conference? Contact us to learn more about our range of products for life science research.

    Phone 1.514.286.1429 | Toll Free 1.877.572.4737
    Email [email protected]

    Thursday, October 22, 2015

    LET’S TALK ABOUT IMPEDANCE.

    The current state-of-the-art in pre-clinical lung function measurements is the evaluation of the mechanical properties of the respiratory system using the forced oscillation technique. This technique, which is at the heart of the flexiVent system, derives from a classic engineering method of characterizing dynamic systems. In this approach, the respiratory system is probed with a specific test signal (e.g. air signal sent by the flexiVent piston), its response to the imposed input signal is captured via specific output signals (e.g. pressure changes), and the relationship between input and output signals is characterized using a transfer function that is referred to as impedance or, more specifically in the present case, respiratory input impedance (abbreviated Zrs).

    Respiratory input impedance is the primary outcome of a respiratory mechanics assessment using the forced oscillation technique. In the flexiWare software, it is obtained following the execution of a prime perturbation (e.g. Quick Prime-3) and is automatically calculated and graphically represented against the oscillating frequency of the input signal. Respiratory input impedance expresses a complex relationship between flow and pressure. This function has two separate components, resistance (upper graph) and reactance (lower graph), and captures the overall opposition of the respiratory system to the imposed perturbation.

    Impedance data can be rich in structure-function related information. However, in order to be meaningful, it needs to be physiologically interpreted. The interpretation can either be qualitative, via a detailed analysis of the curves and their frequency-dependent profiles, or quantitative, through the use of anatomically-based advanced mathematical models describing the mechanical behaviour of the lung.

    In pre-clinical research, while the former approach was used initially, the latter one currently constitutes the norm. The true power of this approach comes from the ability of the constant phase model to fit the entire impedance data and, through specific parameters, partition the response between airway and lung tissue mechanics. By doing so, the method provides a more straightforward access to the peripheral lungs than alternative techniques which are highly invasive, technically demanding and of low throughput.

    Please contact us to see how you can use the forced oscillation technique to its fullest potential to meet your research objectives or explore new scientific avenues.

    Phone 1.514.286.1429 | Toll Free 1.877.572.4737
    Email [email protected]

    Read More:
    Bates, JHT, CG Irvin, R Farré, Z Hantos. 2011. Oscillation mechanics of the respiratory system. Compr Physiol 1:1233-1272.

    Tuesday, September 29, 2015

    NEW! flexiWare 7.6 software

    We would like to inform you that with the release of flexiWare 7.6, we will be ending software support for the flexiVent software (version 5.3.4 and earlier). To continue receiving technical support for your system, we recommend upgrading to flexiWare 7.6 today.

    New Release: flexiWare 7.6

  • Critical values panel: Improved version of the Ventilation statistics docker from flexiVent software. Allows visualization of ventilation statistics and dataset outcomes. Alarms can be set on any critical value.
  • Channel calibration: It is now possible to re-use previous calibration values for up to two weeks with the flexiVent FX. The Aeroneb characterization now supports the new SCIREQ Aeroneb controller
  • Tasks docker: A new docker that combines previous ventilation, perturbation and script dockers with additional features like hiding or sorting Tasks.
  • Scripts: Ventilation, perturbation and aerosol dose script commands now accept parameters to modify these Tasks from within a script.
  • Data export: It is now possible to export data from within an experimentation session. The export progress page now displays export when exporting large amounts of data.
  • Event log: It is now possible to manually exclude a dataset from the event log. It is also easier than even to navigate between datasets in the event log with the new previous and next dataset buttons.
  • SCIREQ Updater utility: This new utility replaces the previous firmware and solidware updater. This new tool automatically detects all possible updates with the instruments and performs them with an easy one step process.
  • Experiment templates: The template creation wizard has been improved to allow for copying and modifying pre-existing templates. When starting an experimentation session, only templates corresponding to the configured instrument type will show in the template selection dialog.
  • Experimentation session: It is now possible to name individual experimentation sessions which simplifies finding your data in review mode. It is also possible to create studies in the study selection dialog in an experimentation session. It is now also possible to filter subjects in an experimentation session as well as in review mode.
  • Experiment database: It is possible to set a size limit on experiment databases to prevent performance issues (recommended 1.5GB).
  • Trend view: There is now a user-friend way to add outcomes and signals to the Trend View. It is also possible to see the color representing a subject on the Trend view in the site docker.
  • Subjects: It is now possible to reset the subject start time in order to allow for various subjects to overlap on the trend view which simplifies comparisons between subjects.

    Ready to upgrade?

    Contact us to find out if you are eligible for a free upgrade and how to have flexiWare 7.6 running in your lab!

    Phone 1.514.286.1429 | Toll Free 1.877.572.4737
    Email [email protected]

  • Thursday, September 24, 2015

    The flexiVent at the Jackson Laboratory Workshop

    Our Senior Scientist, Dr. Annette Robichaud, and flexiVent Product Manager, Ms. Liah Fereydoonzad, are back in the office after spending last week at the Jackson Laboratory Workshop on Phenotyping Mouse Models of Human Lung Disease in beautiful Bar Harbor, ME. This year, the event ran at capacity with a total of 20 researchers attending and many more on the waiting list hoping to join.

    At the workshop, most participants identified learning more on the flexiVent and the measurements it produces as a reason for attending. While a few participants were already familiar with the system, the majority were novice and attended this workshop in hopes of acquiring a specialized training. It is known that the flexiVent is capable of capturing detailed and reproducible measurements of respiratory mechanics in vivo in a wide range of pulmonary applications. The Jackson Laboratory was a perfect environment to host hands-on workshops to see the system at work.

    The sessions were hosted by many authorities in respiratory research, such as Dr. Wayne Mitzner (John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health), Dr. Lennart K. A. Lundblad (The University of Vermont), Dr. James Lee (Mayo Clinic Arizona) and Dr. Charles Irvin (The University of Vermont). The topics addressed covered in-depth various aspects related to mouse models of human lung disease.

    We, at SCIREQ, are proud to have been associated for a number of years now with this renowned scientific event that caters to the needs of pre-clinical researchers from around the world.

    For more information on the flexiVent, please visit our website at www.scireq.com/flexiVent.

    Wednesday, August 12, 2015

    Reliable, precise and reproducible data

    At the recent American Thoracic Society meeting in Denver, many posters highlighted flexiVent data as supporting evidence. One such poster investigated how gestational diabetes and obesity may affect pulmonary development of the pups1. When speaking of the flexiVent data, Dr. Peter Vitiello of Sanford Research noted:

    "The high reproducibility of the flexiVent allowed us to perform comparative analyses I didn’t initially think were possible. I know exactly what to expect and I trust the data."

    The flexiVent offers precise control over the experimental conditions, (i.e. the frequency and amplitude of ventilation, inspiratory/expiratory ratio, standardized volume history), therefore providing detailed insights rapidly without sacrificing measurement quality.

    In particular, PV loop perturbations are extremely reproducible measurements, which allow for small but significant changes to be assessed, using small groups of animals. In some cases, changes as small as 0.01 mL/cm H2O are statistically significant.

    Learn more about how the flexiVent can contribute to your studies by calling us toll-free at 1.877.572.4737 or by email at [email protected].

    1D. Jensen, BS, P. Vitiello, PhD, B. Forred, BS, T. Larsen, BS, M. Baack, MD - Maternal High Fat Diet and Late Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Impairs Pulmonary Vasculogenesis in Offspring of Diabetic Mothers. Poster presented at: Occupation, Obesity, and Lung Health session, American Thoracic Society; 2015 May15-20; Denver, CO.

    Monday, July 27, 2015

    DYNAMIC AND STATIC COMPLIANCES – WHAT DO THEY TELL US?

    At each breath, the respiratory system must overcome two opposing forces to be able to move air in and out of the lungs: the resistance to airflow and the distensibility (or compliance) of the respiratory system. Physiological and/or pathological factors may alter these mechanical characteristics and induce significant changes in the effort required to breathe or tolerance to exercise.

    During flexiVent experiments, it is possible to measure the mechanical properties of the respiratory system and to evaluate the impact a given change will have on specific parameters. While a measure of resistance can only be performed in presence of airflow (or under dynamic conditions), measurements of compliance can be obtained under dynamic or static conditions. Assessing compliance in presence or absence of airflow, can allow for an exhaustive evaluation of the respiratory system or of its response under particular physiologic or pathophysiologic states.

    Dynamic Compliance

    A measure of the dynamic compliance of the respiratory system (also often simply called compliance) is obtained with the SnapShot perturbation, which studies the lung under conditions of tidal breathing.

    Since this measure is typically performed under closed chest conditions, the compliance obtained generally reflects the overall stiffness the entire respiratory system has to overcome on a breath-by-breath basis and will include the compliance of the lungs, the chest walls, as well as that of the airways.

    Static compliance

    A measure of the static compliance (Cst) is obtained following the construction of a pressure-volume curve. In this maneuver, the respiratory system is typically inflated and deflated in a step-wise manner, with at each plateau, a period of no gas flow for equilibration.

    If performed under closed-chest conditions, Cst reflects the elastic properties of the respiratory system (i.e. lungs and chest walls) at rest. Measurements of static compliance can also be performed under open chest conditions, where it will now reflect intrinsic distensibility the lungs.

    Read more

    Bates, JHT, 2009. Lung mechanics: an inverse modeling approach. Cambridge University Press.

    Carbonara, P, Eidelman, DH, 2005. Pulmonary statics in disease, in: Hamid, Q, Shannon, J, Martin J (Eds), Physiologic basis of respiratory disease. BC Decker Inc., Lewiston NY USA, pp. 69-76.

    West, JB, 2012. Respiratory physiology: the essentials. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

    Friday, July 17, 2015

    Don't miss the opportunity!

    Do not miss the opportunity to learn on key laboratory techniques used in respiratory research by attending the workshop on Phenotyping Mouse Models of Human Lung Disease hosted by the Jackson Laboratory in beautiful Bar Harbor, Maine.

    The workshop provides a unique forum to acquire strong theoretical and practical basis on key techniques such as respiratory mechanics measurements, airway hyperresponsiveness assessment, or lung volume determination. The organization of the event also favors networking with peers as well as with established researchers in the field. For years now, SCIREQ has been an active player in this event, as part of a long collaboration with the Jackson Laboratory educational programme. The workshop is therefore also a great opportunity to meet us, to see our products in action, and to get to work with them under the supervision of trained instructors and scientists.

    Schedule Highlights

    Please see below some highlights from the comprehensive schedule recently published:

    Mouse Models of Lung Disease - Wayne Mitzner, Ph.D., John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

    Aerosol Delivery Systems - Lennart K.A. Lundblad, Ph.D., The University of Vermont

    The Trials and Tribulations of Using Mice to Model Acute and Chronic Lung Diseases - Charles Irvin, Ph.D., University of Vermont

    Foundations of Lung Function and assessment with forced oscillation - Lennart K.A. Lundblad, Ph.D., The University of Vermont

    Concurrent, rotating labs:
    - Introduction to the flexiVent - Annette Robichaud, Ph.D., SCIREQ Scientific Respiratory Equipment Inc.
    - Aerosol Delivery Systems - Lennart K.A. Lundblad, Ph.D., The University of Vermont

    For the complete schedule, please click here.


    Register today!

    Date: September 15-19, 2015
    Location: Bar Harbor, ME

    Register here: Jackson Lab Worshop on Phenotyping Mouse Models of Human Lung Disease

    Friday, June 26, 2015

    Looking forward with the flexiVent FX

    A brief history

    In 1997, SCIREQ introduced the flexiVent, our flagship respiratory research platform. Since then, researchers from all over the world have relied on the flexiVent to capture detailed insights into the lungs, making it an essential tool for a wide range of pulmonary research applications.

    In 2010, we introduced the flexiVent FX, which was built on our 15+ years of corporate know-how, and the valuable feedback we received from the research community. The technical capabilities and breath of applications offered by the flexiVent FX extend well beyond what its predecessor, the legacy flexiVent, could offer.

    Since the introduction of the flexiVent FX, we have continued to support our first generation legacy systems, some of which have now been in operation for almost 18 years. Unfortunately, supporting these legacy systems is getting harder every year. Many of the electronic parts and mechanical assemblies originally designed in the 90s are now discontinued, and have become extremely difficult to source. Costs associated with maintaining and extending the life of legacy systems has become difficult to justify. We have therefore decided to gradually phase out our support for the legacy flexiVent, and plan to fully retire the legacy flexiVent by 2017. The key dates regarding this transition are outlined below.

    May 14th, 2015: Formal announcement

    October 31st, 2015: Deadline for the purchase of legacy system products and accessories (modules, Ethernet controllers, FEV extensions, transducers).

    February 15th, 2017: Deadline for legacy system repairs & maintenance. Following this date, the legacy flexiVent will no longer be supported.

    Same quality, additional features

    Please rest assured that the newer flexiVent FX supports all the features and capabilities offered by its predecessor, as well as many new and exciting research applications. In addition, the flexiVent FX offers significant technical advantages, such as additional outcomes (lung volumes, transfer impedance, etc.), improved accuracy, noise reduction and field serviceability.

    If you are still working with the legacy flexiVent, please contact us so that we may work with your team to ensure a smooth transition to the new system. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or toll free at 1.877.572.4737.

    Monday, June 8, 2015

    flexiVent measures the effects of therapeutic countermeasures

    The overarching goal of the CounterACT program is to integrate cutting-edge research with the latest technological advances in science and medicine for a more rapid and effective response during chemical emergencies. When studying chemical threats it is important to understand the effect of the agent itself but also the potential effects of any therapeutic countermeasure. The respiratory system in particular is often affected due to the inhaled nature of these threats.

    The flexiVent is an integrated platform that combines a computer-controlled piston ventilator with advanced lung modelling capabilities. It automates the collection, analysis and plotting of pulmonary mechanics data to provide in-depth lung function measurements.

    The flexiVent has been used in a wide range of applications focused on vesicant induced lung injury (chlorine, sarin, mustard, etc.). Its unique ability to measure central vs. peripheral airways, combined with delivered dose estimators and automated dose-response feature permit unique and novel insights into inflammatory responses and evolution of lung injury throughout the progression of an exposure.

    Publications featuring the flexiVent

  • A Novel Therapeutic For Rescue Treatment Following Toxic Gas Lung Injury. McGovern T, Day BJ, White CW, Powell WS, Martin JG. Free Radic Biol Med. 2011 Mar 1;50(5):602-8. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2010.12.001. Epub 2010 Dec 13.

  • Functional and inflammatory alterations in the lung following exposure of rats to nitrogen mustard. Sunil VR, Patel KJ, Shen J, Reimer D, Gow AJ, Laskin JD, Laskin DL. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2011 Jan 1;250(1):10-8. doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2010.09.016. Epub 2010 Sep 29.

  • Inhalation of the nerve gas sarin impairs ventilatory responses to hypercapnia and hypoxia in rats. Zhuang J, Xu F, Campen MJ, Zhang C, Pena-Philippides JC, Sopori ML. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2008 Nov 1;232(3):440-7. doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2008.07.016. Epub 2008 Jul 28.

    The inExpose is a compact and customizable inhalation exposure system, which can be used for nose-only or whole body exposures in a range of subjects. It provides a reproducible way of exposing animals to a test atmosphere, creating relevant and practical animal models.

    The inExpose caters to a vast number of inhalation research applications, ranging from developing an infectious disease model to testing a therapeutic delivery system.

    Publications featuring the inExpose

  • Postinfection A77-1726 treatment improves cardiopulmonary function in H1N1 influenza-infected mice. Aeffner F, Bratasz A, Flaño E, Powell KA, Davis IC. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2012 Oct;47(4):543-51. doi: 10.1165/rcmb.2012-0112OC. Epub 2012 Jun 7.

  • Efficacy of aerosolized celecoxib encapsulated nanostructured lipid carrier in non-small cell lung cancer in combination with docetaxel. Patel AR1, Chougule MB, I T, Patlolla R, Wang G, Singh M. Pharm Res. 2013 May;30(5):1435-46. doi: 10.1007/s11095-013-0984-9. Epub 2013 Jan 30.

    Stop by to learn more about our full suite of pulmonary products and how they may be beneficial for your research!

    Join us in New York





    Join us at the 9th Annual NIH Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Network Research Symposium in New York City from June 15th to 17th:

    Monday June 15 - 7:30am to 7:00pm
    Tuesday June 16 - 7:30am to 6:00pm
    Wednesday June 17 - 7:30am to 3:00pm

    Questions? Contact us!
    Phone 1.514.286.1429 | Toll Free 1.877.572.4737
    Email [email protected]
  • Tuesday, May 12, 2015

    Now distributing the tremoFlo P-100 for pre-clinical research

    All of us at emka TECHNOLOGIES & SCIREQ are excited to announce that we have partnered with THORASYS Thoracic Medical Systems Inc. to offer the tremoFlo P-100, a highly detailed and reproducible Airway Oscillometry System (AOS) for lung function testing in large animals.

    About the tremoFlo

    The tremoFlo AOS is a portable lung function testing instrument that can measure respiratory mechanics in large animals (dogs, NHPs) non-invasively. The system comprises a lightweight handheld device attached to a cradle unit. Subjects breathe directly into the handheld unit during measurements via a disposable anti-bacterial/viral filter and a subject mask. The tremoFlo software provides subject management, testing and result interpretation capabilities.

    The tremoFlo system provides detailed, physiologically-relevant endpoints of lung obstruction (resistance) and stiffness (reactance), as well as other advanced parameters related to lung heterogeneities, respiratory rate, tidal volume, dynamic collapse, and central vs. peripheral airway effects for spontaneously breathing subjects. These outcomes are translational and clinically-relevant in applications such as:

  • Respiratory assessment for safety and toxicology studies using dogs and NHP models
  • Demonstrating compliance with ICH guidelines
  • Studying the off-target effects
  • Integrating safety endpoints to existing toxicology studies
  • Drug efficacy and validation studies
  • Exploratory toxicology, cross-reactivity studies, and more!

    Offering a complete range of respiratory solutions

    As recognized leaders in pre-clinical science, emka TECHNOLOGIES and SCIREQ have helped scientists uncover novel insights into disease mechanisms and evaluate therapeutic approaches that target the respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological functions. We are proud to add the tremoFlo P-100 to our list of respiratory solutions used to enhance your research.

    Contact us

    Phone 1.514.286.1429 | Toll Free 1.877.572.4737
    Email [email protected]

    Learn more about the tremoFlo P-100 for pre-clinical lung function testing at www.scireq.com/non-invasive/tremoflo

    Learn more about THORASYS and the tremoFlo C-100 for lung-function assessment in patients (clinical application) at www.thorasys.com

  • 5 reasons to stop by our booth at ATS

    The American Thoracic Society's annual international conference is just a few days away and we look forward to meeting with industry leaders and learning what's new in the field of respiratory research.

    Here are just a few of the many reasons to stop by the emka & SCIREQ booth #428 at ATS this year:

    1. See the range of emka & SCIREQ products that cover your respiratory research needs from cell and tissues to isolated organs and in vivo models

    2. Learn about lung volumes and how you can add RV and TLC measurements to your list of outcomes

    3. Meet with our application specialists and staff scientist to discuss your new projects

    4. See the tremoFlo, a unique tool to perform conscious measurements in large subjects

    5. Get all the details on how to attend our Breakfast Symposium on respiratory drug development with speakers Dr.Phillips and Dr.Lewis

    Schedule

    Sunday May 17     Exhibit hall: 10:30am to 5pm
    Monday May 18     Breakfast Symposium: 7am (click here for details & to register!)
                                   Exhibit hall: 10:30am to 5pm
    Tuesday May 19   Exhibit hall: 10:30am to 3pm

    Contact us
    Phone 1.514.286.1429 | Toll Free 1.877.572.4737
    Email [email protected]

    Wednesday, April 8, 2015

    The usefulness of recruitment manoeuvres

    Atelectasis or airway closure spontaneously develops following anaesthesia and mechanical ventilation. This progressive loss in lung volume can have a significant impact on the subject’s physiological condition as well as on the measured respiratory mechanics parameters.

    Large amplitude manoeuvres provided with the flexiVent system, such as the Deep Inflation or Pressure-Volume curves, are very useful to prevent the development of atelectasis as they act as recruitment manoeuvres to reopen the closed portions of the lungs. Because they gently inflate the lungs to recruit airways and reset volume history, these manoeuvres can be frequently repeated to maintain stable experimental conditions over extended periods of time.

    An added benefit of maintaining stable experimental conditions is another layer of standardization for your experiments. The flexiWare software allows you to tightly control the ventilation parameters (respiratory rate, tidal volume, PEEP, I/E ratio) to ensure that all subjects are studied under optimal conditions in order to produce accurate and reproducible results.

    Our Applications Specialists are happy to provide additional information on these manoeuvres or any other that the flexiVent provides.

    Read more:
    Reiss, LK, AK Kowallik, S Uhlig. 2011. Recurrent recruitment manoeuvres improve lung mechanics and minimize lung injury during mechanical ventilation of healthy mice. PloS one 6: e24527.

    Tuesday, March 24, 2015

    From Coast to Coast - Conference season 2015

    We had amazing time meeting everyone who came by our booth in San Diego, CA at the Society of Toxicology's Annual Meeting and we look forward to working with you in the future! With the end of this conference, our team is packing their bags and heading across the United-States to the East Coast where the Experimental Biology conference will be held.

    Join us in Boston

    For all those located in Boston and the surrounding area, we welcome you to come by our booth #432 and meet our staff. Our team of experts will be happy to show you our equipment and answer all of your questions.

    Together, our emka & SCIREQ team offers integrated solutions for physiology, pharmacology, and toxicology research. We provide a complete range of innovative instruments and services for in vivo and in vitro research. Our biomedical instruments combine accuracy and reproducibility to provide unparalleled insight into pre-clinical research. The Experimental Biology annual conference allows us to meet researchers from a variety of disciplines and learn from each other’s work. We look forward to seeing you there and discussing your research interest!

    Exhibit hours

    Sunday March 29 - 9:00am to 4:00pm
    Monday March 30 - 9:00am to 4:00pm
    Tuesday March 31 - 9:00am to 4:00pm

    Questions? Contact us!
    Phone 1.514.286.1429 | Toll Free 1.877.572.4737
    Email [email protected]

    Wednesday, March 18, 2015

    Join us at SOT 2015 in San Diego!

    emka TECHNOLOGIES & SCIREQ will be at this year's Society of Toxicology’s Meeting and ToxExpo in San Diego, CA!

    We have a lot of equipment at our booth to demonstrate and want to take advantage of this opportunity to meet with you in-person so we can learn more about your research and how we can assist you in gathering more accurate, reproducible and comprehensive data.

    Exhibit hours

    Visit our booth to discuss your research application!

    Monday March 23 - 9:00am to 4:30pm
    Tuesday March 24 - 8:30am to 4:30pm
    Wednesday March 25 - 8:30am to 4:30pm

    Questions? Contact us!
    Phone 1.514.286.1429 | Toll Free 1.877.572.4737
    Email [email protected]

    Tuesday, February 17, 2015

    Standardization Made Easy

    Procedure standardization often rhymes with a set of strict guidelines to be followed or defined protocol restrictions. This is however no longer the case for the preclinical assessment of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) using aerosolized contractile agonists.

    Indeed, the missing key element in this widely performed procedure, the access to the dose of aerosolized agent delivered to the subject’s airways, is now available to researchers with the push of a button in the flexiVent’s operating software for a knowledgeable reporting and interpretation of results. The only requirement, in addition to the regular calibration of the system, is the characterization of the nebulizer output rate, which is known to vary from unit to unit, with usage, and time.

    By easily taking into account protocol variations, the introduction of an automated delivered dose estimate will undoubtedly bring a valuable element of standardization to the technique of AHR. Contact us to find out how to improve AHR study comparisons and reproducibility.

    READ MORE

    Delivered dose estimate to standardize airway hyperresponsiveness assessment in mice. Robichaud et al. American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, 2015. DOI:10.1152/ajplung.00343.2014.

    Contact Us

    Phone 1.514.286.1429 | Toll Free 1.877.572.4737
    Email [email protected]

    Monday, February 2, 2015

    Longitudinal studies with the flexiVent

    When developing an appropriate protocol to assess respiratory mechanics, there is a trade-off between accuracy of the measurements and the invasiveness of the technique. The flexiVent favours an invasive technique, producing results that are unparalleled in accuracy. However, when performing longitudinal studies, there is some tendency to lean towards non-invasive techniques as recovering animals post-surgery can be complicated. This certainly affects the quality of the collected data and also requires larger subject groups to balance the variability in the data.

    The flexiVent can absolutely perform repeat measurements when using intubation, allowing researchers to conduct longitudinal studies and acquire detailed lung mechanics information. There are many published studies performed with the flexiVent that highlight longitudinal studies with mice, rats, and guinea pigs via tracheal intubation, with just a small sampling listed below.

  • De Vleeschauwer SI, Rinaldi M, De Vooght V, Vanoirbeek JA, Vanaudenaerde BM, Verbeken EK, Decramer M, Gayan-Ramirez GN, Verleden GM, Janssens W. Repeated invasive lung function measurements in intubated mice: an approach for longitudinal lung research. Lab Anim. 2011 Apr;45(2):81-9. Epub 2011 Feb 28.
  • Heulitt MJ et al. Repeated measurements of respiratory mechanics in developing rats utilizing a forced oscillation technique. Exp Lung Res. 2008. 34(7): 409-423.
  • Furthermore, there are a number of publications that highlight the intubation technique itself, including several on JoVE.

  • Thomas, J. L., Dumouchel, J., Li, J., Magat, J., Balitzer, D., Bigby, T. D. Endotracheal Intubation in Mice via Direct Laryngoscopy Using an Otoscope. J. Vis. Exp. (86), e50269, doi:10.3791/50269 (2014).
  • Das, S., MacDonald, K., Chang, H. Y. S., Mitzner, W. A Simple Method of Mouse Lung Intubation. J. Vis. Exp. (73), e50318, doi:10.3791/50318 (2013).
  • Contact Us For More References

    Our Applications Specialists are happy to provide additional publications or put you in touch with researchers who routinely perform intubations so that you may gain confidence in the procedure and move towards longitudinal studies with the flexiVent.

    Phone 1.514.286.1429 | Toll Free 1.877.572.4737
    Email [email protected]