Striatech Debuts New Non-Aversive Animal Platform
Striatech, a leader in preclinical vision research devices and tools, has unveiled its New Non-Aversive Animal Platform for the OptoDrum system. The company is setting a transformative standard for ethical animal studies in visual neuroscience. The breakthrough platform, designed to reduce experimental stress in sensitive animal models, is poised to reshape how researchers study diseases like glaucoma, stroke, and neuroinflammation. This latest innovation underscores Striatech’s commitment to advancing ethical animal research practices while improving experimental outcomes in visual and neurological disease models.
New Non-Aversive Animal Platform
The platform integrates three critical advancements to support researchers working with sensitive or behaviorally complex animal subjects:
Minimising lab animal stress during optomotor response experiments
Through its non-aversive design, engineered to minimise stress during optomotor response experiments, the platform enables reliable testing even with nervous or active animals. Its architecture ensures animals remain calm, promoting natural behaviours essential for accurate visual acuity measurements in models of glaucoma, retinal degeneration, and stroke.
Reducing animal anxiety and enhancing data validity
The transparent side walls of the platform are specially designed to create a secluded environment that reduces animal anxiety, directly enhancing data validity. By mimicking natural habitats, the feature supports consistent behavioural responses critical for longitudinal studies.
Eliminating forced handling and preserving baseline behavioural data integrity
With the innovative tunnel-lid system, animals transition voluntarily from their home cages to the OptoDrum testing arena via a stress-free tunnel-lid. This design eliminates forced handling, ensuring seamless transfers that preserve baseline behavioural data.
Together, these features align with the principle of Refinement in animal research, prioritising welfare while boosting experimental reproducibility.
Animal Welfare Features of the OptoDrum
The new platform complements Striatech’s existing ethical innovations within the OptoDrum system:
Non-Invasive Behavioural Readout: The OptoDrum tracks visual decline or improvement over time using the optomotor reflex, serving as a proxy for disease progression in conditions like neuroinflammation, multiple sclerosis, and stroke. This eliminates the need for invasive methods such as electroretinography (ERG) or terminal procedures like histology, aligning with Reduction and Refinement principles.
Front-Door Access Design: Unlike top-loading systems, the OptoDrum®’s front entry simplifies animal handling, reduces stress, and enables thorough cleaning to prevent odour buildup. Residual odours from other animals, which are a known stressor, are minimised, ensuring consistent behavioural analysis.
Upcoming Showcase at FELASA 2025
Following its recent introduction at ARVO 2025, where it garnered significant interest from researchers studying complex animal models, Striatech will showcase the platform at FELASA 2025 (June 2–5, Athens Metropolitan Expo, Booth #MU35). Attendees can explore firsthand how the OptoDrum integrates with the new Non-Aversive Animal Platform to elevate both animal welfare and data precision.
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