Neurodegeneration produces complex behavioural changes that have profound effects on human quality of life that cannot be replicated in in-vitro models.

However, for in-vivo studies, researchers often rely on models that show artificial degeneration in young animals and thus don’t replicate the changes you would find in a natural ageing model. For example, using mice to look at how neurodegeneration occurs as ageing animals age or to see the long-term effects of early life interventions is complex, time-consuming and costly.

The options to test compounds that could slow the degeneration of neurons in a naturally ageing organism are limited, particularly if you need to reach the next milestone of your research project quickly.

We can see the effects of your compound in a naturally ageing model in a matter of weeks. C. elegans are used to generate models of neurodegenerative disease through overexpression of human proteins implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, which leads to loss of function phenotypes that can be scored and used to test interventions. The strongest phenotypes have arisen from overexpression in muscle cells, which gives rise to paralysis. This phenotype is relatively straightforward, albeit tedious to assess manually.  However, our automated data acquisition, strict scheduling of larval selection and the use of defined reagents, help us conduct experiments quickly and still achieve a high level of data reproducibility.

• Our automated imaging system for C. elegans tracks mobility behaviour for the slow down in movement that precedes paralysis  during the first week of adulthood.Speed distribution and worm position can reveal further health-relevant functional changes. We can also assay chemotaxis and exploration behaviour and how that changes with age.
• Using C. elegans, you can see the effect on movement  in as little as 3 days.
• Through continuous monitoring of C. elegans in large populations, we can measure changes in movement without having to decide on arbitrary endpoints e.g. paralysed or non-paralysed.
• We have example data for models of Huntington’s Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson’s Disease -- contact us and we can share this data with you.

We provide the following benefits:

• Cost and time-efficient assays for predictivity data prior to rodent models.

• Rich, sensitive data set that goes far beyond traditional manual lifespan assays.

• Standardised, population-scale acute and chronic testing for mutation and compound effects on both longevity and fitness.

• Team of multidisciplinary experts to advise you on study design and data analysis.

Download our poster: Developing a System to Quantify Efficacy of Neurodegeneration Therapeutics Using Automated Monitoring of C. elegans