Radiation Countermeasures – ARS

Radiation Countermeasures - Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS)

Radiation Countermeasures – Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS)

At BioModels, you can assess your novel therapeutics for efficacy and mechanism of action in our established models of Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) to address unmet clinical needs for patients. ARS refers to an acute illness caused by exposure to a high dose of penetrating radiation to the body which can affect three distinct areas of the body, the bone marrow, the gastrointestinal tract (GI-ARS), and the cardiovascular/central nervous system (CNS). We offer well-established mouse models of both total body irradiation (TBI) and gastrointestinal tract-focused toxicity through shielding of the long bones to assess critical disease mechanisms and phenotypes.

Our literature-validated experimental endpoints include:

Survival
Body Weight Change
Complete Blood Count
Cytokine Assessment
Gene Expression Assessment
Histopathology
Custom Assays and Endpoints

Study Models

Total Body Irradiation (TBI)

Description

There is a critical need to develop therapies to prevent radiation exposure related deaths resulting from gastrointestinal and bone marrow toxicities. Currently, only potassium iodide is recognized as a radio-protectant in this context, protecting only the thyroid from ingested radioactive iodine. At BioModels, evaluate your test compounds for efficacy in targeting the GI tract, the bone marrow, or both in our total body irradiation mouse model. Non-anesthetized animals are placed in a pie-shaped multi-chamber plastic restrainer and placed inside the radiation source. A single, precise dose of total body irradiation (x-ray) at varying levels is administered to groups of mice to generate a dose response curve. The radiation dose can be titrated to achieve the lethal dose appropriate for your study. The main endpoints of the model include survival and body weight change. Histological endpoints can also be examined to address the mechanism of action.

Advantages: Good for screening potential drug candidates, consistent disease incidence.
Disadvantages: Survival as a primary endpoint minimizes sample collection, two radiation doses are highly recommended.

Model Systems

Mice-multiple strains

Standard Readouts

Survival
Percent weight change
Blood Cell Count (CBC)
Terminal histopathology and/or IHC analyses

Additional Readouts

Systemic Cytokine Analysis
Gene expression
Custom assays

Representative DataClick Image to Enlarge

Percent Body Weight Change in C57BL/6 Mice Receiving Total Body Irradiation

C57Bl/6 animals that receive TBI (x-ray) are weighed daily, and body weight change as compared to Day 0 are calculated and shown over the course of the study for each radiation (x-ray) dose level.

Survival of C57BL/6 Mice Receiving Total Body Irradiation

Survival of C57Bl/6 mice that receive TBI (x-ray) is tracked daily over the course of the study.

TBI with Long Bone Protection (GI-ARS)

Description

Exposure to high levels of ionizing radiation results in toxicities of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that often lead to death. There is a critical need to develop therapies that treat the damaged GI tract to reduce or prevent exposure-related deaths. At BioModels, evaluate your test compounds for efficacy in targeting the GI tract in our validated GI-directed acute radiation syndrome mouse model. In this model, one hind limb of an anesthetized animal is protected using a lead shield while a single, precise dose of total body irradiation (x-ray) is delivered. The main endpoints of the model include survival and body weight change. Histological endpoints can also be examined to address the mechanism of action.

Advantages: Good for screening potential drug candidates, consistent disease incidence
Disadvantages: Survival as a primary endpoint minimizes sample collection, two radiation doses are highly recommended

Model Systems

C57Bl/6 Mice

Standard Readouts

Survival
Percent weight change
Blood Cell Count (CBC)
Terminal small intestine histopathology and/or IHC analyses

Additional Readouts

Systemic Cytokine Analysis
Gene expression
Custom assays

Representative DataClick Image to Enlarge

Percent Body Weight Change in Animals Receiving TBI With Long Bone Protection

C57Bl/6 animals that receive TBI with long bone protection are weighed daily, and body weight change as compared to Day 0 are calculated and shown over the course of the study for each radiation (x-ray) dose level.

Survival in Animals Receiving TBI With Long Bone Protection

Survival of C57Bl/6 mice that receive TBI (x-ray) with long bone protection is tracked daily over the course of the study.

Small Intestine Histopathology in Animals Receiving TBI With Long Bone Protection

C57Bl/6 mice receive TBI (x-ray) with long bone protection. Representative images show the epithelial architecture of the villi and crypts of normal jejunum (A) and damaged jejunum (B) 4 days after exposure to radiation.

Disease Areas of Collaborative Focus

DISEASE AREAS

Radiation Countermeasures – ARS