OptoDrum
All animals have reflexes that help to stabilize the image of the moving environment in their eyes. For example, if a person looks out the window of a moving train her eyes automatically follow the landscape. These compensatory eye movements are caused by the so-called optokinetic reflex. Many animals also have the optomotor reflex which triggers compensatory head movements.
These compensatory eye and head movements are only triggered if the moving stimulus can be seen by the animal. Thus, observing these innate reflexes can be used as a quantitative readout for visual performance needs of animals. In mice and rats, observing the optomotor reflex is particulary convenient: it does not require fixation or surgery, because the corresponding behavior can be observed macroscopically.
Description
Overview
For a wide range of pre-clinical research applications, the OptoDrum is a convenient, automated, fast, and objective in-vivo tool to screen for visual dysfunction and disease progression.
Ophthalmology
Measure visual abilities
Contrast sensitivity
Visual acuity
Track retinal degeneration
Evaluate new treatment options (stem cells, optogenetics, neuroprotection, ...
Pharmacology
Efficacy and safety testing
Efficacy: test novel ophthalmic drugs
Safety: screen for side effects of new compounds
Disease Models
Track disease progression
Retinal degeneration
Glaucoma
Axon degeneration
Axon regeneration
Multiple Sclerosis
Neuroinflammation
Stroke
Diabetes
Aging
Toxicology
Vision defect screening
Testing effects of environmental stress
Testing effects of neurotoxic substances
Phenotyping
New genetic lines
Characterize vision of new lines
Screen for visual dysfunctions
Features
Fully automated process
Non-invasive
Cost saving and effective
Easy handling and maintenance
For mice and rats
Test rod-specific vision
Journal Citations
The BET PROTAC inhibitor dBET6 protects against retinal degeneration and inhibits the cGAS-STING in response to light damage
Journal of Neuroinflammation volume 20, Article number: 119 (2023)
The contrast sensitivity function of a small cryptobenthic marine fish
Journal of Vision February 2019, Vol.19, 1. doi:https://doi.org/10.1167/19.2.1
Loss of Sarm1 reduces retinal ganglion cell loss in chronic glaucoma
Acta Neuropathologica Communications volume 12, Article number: 23 (2024)