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, FlaƱo 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]