The aim of the project was to improve indispensable research activities with the living animals in terms of reproducibility and data quality. To fulfill this goal, we see a high potential in the reduction of the human bias leading to objectivity in the data acquisition during experiments and studies.
Our aim of the project was from the beginning: Improving animal testing by implementing digitization technology, leading to objectivity and the reduction of the human factor and higher data quality.
Since the intensive partnership with the Thaumatec Tech group, we could further improve our iMouse solution by being guided, challenged, and thrilled through strong industrialization experience and professionalization within the health IT development. We made a huge step forward.
Our two focus areas: Use Cases and the iMouse Solution: Regarding Use Cases, we are using the collaboration and feedback from our friendly users to improve our Solution focus. This focus is now divided by two sections:
- Retrofit existing home-cage systems to transform them to Digital home-cage systems within the customer’s infrastructural environment, such as Tecniplast BlueLine , Greenline , EmeraldLine and Allentown and Zoonlab here IVC Typ 2L und Typ 3 and also Standard Home Cages.
- Integrated solutions, here we developed a digitalization approach by bringing iMouse functionality in complete racks, such as the Zoonlab UNIPROTECT series. For this solutions, the customer can choose the number of rows, which will work as digital home cages. Within our ready made solution, the number of cameras around the digital cages can be fitted to the customers requirement and observation focus.
Both working possibilities with iMouse do have a new and own developed camera module and light system (invisible for rodents) since 2023, we also offer the top camera for observation within open cage systems.
In 2023, we updated already existing iMouse systems in the field and installed new systems at several sides in the university landscape within Germany. We could further develop the iMouse system by the feedback loop of our scientific partner, the animal facility at the Leibniz Institute for Virology in Hamburg, germany. Here we thank our partner for the intensive help to reach steady development and optimization of hardware and software, which was directly tested by the animal specialists within the laboratory environment, focusing on usability and practicability.
Therefore, special thanks to the complete LIV team and their lead, Dagmar Schroeder-Huse! The team of the MPI-CBG – Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Jussi Helppi and Ronald Naumann, the team around Paul Friedemann Pohlig and Nadine Classen at the Universität zu Köln.
Milestones achieved:
- We are very proud to announce our latest member of the advisory board team, Kristina Ullmann , she is a great, skilled supporter with her deep understanding of the CRO environment.
- We achieved our goal by contracting five friendly user sides with retrofit installations based on different cage venders (e.g. Tecniplast, Allentown and Zoonlab) and home-cages for customers
- We achieved the goal of gaining an official Sales partner, which is Zoonlab.
- Development & industrialization partner: Zentner
- DigiFrame & Cameras standardized by retrofit installment. Tool less, Plug&Play and thnaks to MicroHDMI connecting simple to replace and shift to observation spot within the laboratory
- We started to update and re-invent iMouseHub Software, which is the digital fundament of iMouse – this part is under construction and will improve usability with experimental and usability feedback from the science and research environment.
- iMouseBrain: AI PoC for detecting the drinking behavior as marker for recovery after a surgical intervention / Annotation / Differentiation / etc. very promising, stay tuned for a master update in 2024.
- New team members joined the project this year: Andrés Rodríguez , Pauline Neuholz , Dennis Wagner , Stefan Schober and supporter from the Thaumatec team
- Investors and further partners – welcome to dive in further R&D projects
The year 2023 in detail:
- Structural change within IIoT-Projects GmbH: After two years of innvative thinking and re-thinking the iMouse approach, we decided to split activities and leave three partners back to the establishment of more industrial focussed use cases. Thanks to Mathias Hänsel Stefan Koeppel Nader Halmuschi – your strong support, expertise, the countless intensive discussions and contribution sets the fundament for iMouse!
- Increased partnership with Thaumatec Tec Group as investor/ technical partner thanks to the experienced team and expertise, we learn, develop and industrialize – together!
- BFR conference at FU Berlin participation in February incl. iMouse presentation with good local traction
- New and/ or optimized retrofit adapters for several existing home cage systems such as Tecniplast (Blueline/ Greenline/ EmeraldLine) and optimization of Allentown and Zoonlab (incl. former EHRET)
- First iMouse adaption for larger home cages, e.g. for the housing of rats
- First iMouse Scientific paper distributed and published in Journal of pharmacology and pharmaceutical research JPPR, official link will follow.
- Official market launch at the GVSOLAS in Mainz, presenting collaboration approach with Zentner and Zoonlab by presenting the UNIPROTECT M with an integrated iMouse system
- Presentation: iMouse team presented the sec time on the GVSolas congress scientific results
- Acceptance by BVL (Behörde für Tier- und Verbraucherschutz) for the monitoring of mice during activity based experiments
- GAIA-X, German hub collaboration with focus on contribution with FAIR dataspace / FraunhoferFIT
- New Marketing approach. Updated website, details about the system including system animation, installation video
- Installations and system developments with and at our friendly users and customers (Link1 Link2 Link3)
- Intensive investors and partners exchange to elaborate further R&D topics and rising recognition and importance of the digitalization of the translational
- Nomination of iMouse by the European Champions Alliance (ECA) link to LinkedIn
- Cost&Teatime alignment with our CSO and integration in the DHC database
- Update of the website with customer community section to have online- and training material
- DIVA alliance exchange to support the US activities regarding AI enabled digital biomarkers
- Collaboration agreement with Zoonlab to optimize customer centric development, market fit and distribution
Goals for 2024:
- Platform update / upgrade / functionality improvements on Scientists requirements
- First time AI functionality integration within the platform
- Annotation platform setup within the friendly user environment & community
- Further Industrialize, technical improve and scale
- Get further partners onboard
- Customer installations with market feedback and steady improvements by the animal welfare and science environment to include their functionality requests within iMouseHub
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