Project Summary
Infectious diseases are caused by micro-organisms, such as bacteria, protozoa, viruses or fungi, which can be
transferred through direct or indirect human contact. A viral infection occurs when a host's body is invaded by
pathogenic viruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that
causes COVID-19 and the current pandemic. This pandemic is the greatest public health challenge since the
1918 influenza pandemic and the biggest threat to destabilizing the global economy since World War II.
As viruses tend to mutate quicker than other pathogenic agents (and thus newer strains emerge time and again),
continuous research is required to combat infectious agents. For preclinical research, the most frequently used
animal models are mice and rats. They offer an optimal combination of genetic proximity to humans, cost for
breeding and colony maintenance possibilities due to their small size. Mice offer the broadest spectrum of
available models. Rats are the second most frequently used mammal animal model. In fact, several SARS-CoV-
2 researchers are turning to rats. They are no more susceptible to COVID-19 than mice, but their larger size is
an advantage, as, for example, researchers often want to do repetitive bleeding in an experiment but cannot do
that with mice. Furthermore, as vaccine studies often assess how different doses affect antibody responses over
several days, most toxicology studies of drugs also start in rat.
To achieve intermittent infusions in most non-infectious disease research, the current prevailing administration
modes for small animal research are manual (oral, intravenous, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous) requiring
repeated handling by trained technicians. However, infectious disease researchers desire the least number of
touchpoints possible with their infected animals, especially when sharp needles are involved
The proposed FluidSync BSL3 system may aid the discovery of new treatments for COVID-19 by enabling
candidate drugs to be administered to model animals infected with SARS-CoV-2 while minimizing
investigator contact. It may also be used in the development of vaccines and antibodies. The system builds on
the first and only wireless and tether-free administration system that can be used in animals as small as mice.
The new system will have new capabilities including i) a medical-grade primary battery and ii) a programmable
system-on-chip including Bluetooth telemetry transceiver, processor and memory.
Ultimately, the FluidSync BSL3 microinfusion system would enable an intelligent instrumented vivarium system
that addresses many BSL3 user requirements with benefits including increased productivity, reduced researcher
exposure to potentially toxic drugs and disease vectors, ease of management of large-scale animal studies, and
minimized animal handling to reduce white coat effects.