Hey all,
I want to do repeated doses of drug to the mouse intrathecal space without needing to do an i.t. injection every time. i.t. injections are fine, but it’d be nice to already have the mice ready to go and just push a drug, perhaps multiple times.
I know there are options to do chronic drug infusion with an Alzet pump, like this procedure from @anackley lab.
FA Oladosu, BP Ciszek, SC O'Buckley and AG Nackley,
Journal of neuroscience methods , May 2016 01
Catheter systems that permit targeted delivery of genes, molecules, ligands, and other agents represent an investigative tool critical to the development of clinically relevant animal models that facilitate the study of neurological health and disease. The development of new sustained catheter delivery systems to spinal and peripheral sites will reduce the need for repeated injections, while ensuring constant levels of drug in plasma and tissues.Here, we introduce two novel catheter delivery systems in the mouse: the O'Buckley intrathecal catheter system for sustained delivery to the spinal region and a subcutaneous bifurcated catheter system for sustained drug delivery to both hindpaws.The O'Buckley intrathecal catheter system consistently distributed Evans Blue throughout the spinal cord, with the greatest concentration at the thoracic region, and with an 85% surgery success rate. The subcutaneous catheter system consistently distributed Evans Blue to the hindlimbs, with a 100% surgery success rate.The O'Buckley intrathecal catheter system accomplishes sustained drug delivery to the spinal region, with a 2-fold increase in surgery success rate, as compared to the traditional method. Our subcutaneous bifurcated catheter system accomplishes sustained drug delivery to both hindpaws, eliminating the need for repeated intraplantar injections.We have developed catheter systems that improve upon traditional methods in order to achieve sustained localized drug delivery to spinal tissues and to hindpaw tissues surrounding peripheral sciatic nerve terminals. These methods have a broad reach, and can be used to enhance behavioral, physiologic and mechanistic studies in mice.
But I’m looking for options with a port for acute dosing.
Does anyone have any recommendations for catheters and maybe a protocol?
@tberta @liz @esypek @ljmartin