Annual Meeting Agenda 2023

Morning Wet Lab – Vanderbilt University

Wet Lab - In-person/live

Basic swine laparoscopy and endovascular interventions paired with an introduction to stereotaxic, intrathecal surgery, and vascular catheterization in the rat

Afternoon Wet Lab – Vanderbilt University

Wet Lab - In-person/live

Intermediate swine procedures and rat microsurgery and catheterization techniques

Stumbling Forward: The Imperfections of Innovation

Keynote - In-person/live

Keynote Speaker – Brian Craig CEO and Founder Isola Therapeutics Minneapolis, MN

Unbreak My Heart – The Reality of the Future? Regenerative Cardiovascular Research with Focus on Minipig Model

Symposia - In-person/live

Speaker – Nina Krutrök AstraZeneca   After myocardial infarction (MI) patients lose up to 1 billion cardiomyocytes. The inability of the injured mammalian heart to regenerate the loss of contractile myocardial tissue leads to ischemic heart failure (HF). Despite major advances in the treatment of HF, the root cause of impairment is still unaddressed. Human Ventricular Progenitor cells (HVPs) engraft, differentiate into cardiomyocytes, and prevent disease progression after -MI-in the murine and porcine heart.1, 2 In our research we aim to study the effect of HVPs as a new modality in a post-MI pig model. Methods: Myocardial infarction was induced using […]

Automated Blood Sampling in a Telemetry Cardiovascular Dog Colony

Symposia - In-person/live

Speaker – Amanda Wilsey Abbvie   Implementation of Automated Blood Sampling (ABS) allows for uninterrupted cardiovascular data collection with simultaneous blood collection throughout a telemetry dog preclinical study. This reduction shortens study timelines, minimizes CV data artifacts, and considerably reduces compound synthesis and the associated costs. Methods: A colony of telemetry instrumented male beagle dogs were implanted and maintained in-house for non-GLP preclinical cardiovascular safety studies. Evaluation of the ABS telemetry dog cardiovascular model; highlighting the benefits and downfalls of the last seven years since implementing Automated Blood Sampling. Results:  Since 2016, telemetry dogs implanted with transmitters and vascular access ports […]

Evaluation of an African Green Monkey Model of Transient Ischemia

Symposia - In-person/live

Speaker – Kimicia Isaac, St. Kitts Biomedical Research Foundation / Virscio, Inc.   The NIH estimates 800,000 Americans suffer strokes yearly, with significant mortality, long-term disability, and substantial unmet medical need. The lack of translation from small animal models to clinical efficacy has slowed therapeutic development. Nonhuman primates (NHP) share anatomy and physiology with humans important to the clinical pathophysiology of stroke and truly predictive preclinical modeling. An model of transient ischemia is described in adult male African green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) that promises to enable more robust evaluation of stroke therapeutics. Methods: 11 monkeys received a 180 min occlusion of […]

The Sheep as a Model for Assessing Long Term Functional Patency and Maintenance of Arteriovenous Grafts

Symposia - In-person/live

Speaker – John Carney University of Minnesota   Patients with end stage renal disease often require vascular grafts to create arteriovenous (AV) shunts for hemodialysis access. However, graft complications frequently occur resulting in loss of functional patency and need for subsequent interventions. Although sheep have been used to evaluate preclinical graft safety, research lacks regarding use for prolonged graft maintenance and postoperative interventions. We sought to validate the sheep model in evaluating chronic AV graft patency and salvage techniques using clinically established approaches. Methods: Methods: Three (n = 3) adult sheep weighing 88 ± 21kg and 14 ± 1 months old […]

Practical Approach to Pain Management for Nonhuman Primates: Enhancing Welfare and Research Outcomes

Symposia - In-person/live

Speaker – Jan Bernal Amgen   Pain management is a critical component of responsible animal research and care, particularly in the context of nonhuman primates (NHPs) utilized in biomedical and behavioral studies. This presentation aims to provide a comprehensive overview of practical pain management strategies for NHPs, with a focus on enhancing their welfare while optimizing research outcomes. The presentation will begin by defining pain and classifications of pain. It will emphasize the pain pathways and the multimodal approaches effective at each of the pain pathways, encompassing a wide range of medication and procedural options to modulate pain.  Attendees will gain […]

The Vital Role of Capnography in Surgical Research: Enhancing Patient Care and Surgical Outcomes

Symposia - In-person/live

Speakers: Jan Bernal Amgen Amy Martunas Vertex   Capnography has emerged as an indispensable tool in veterinary medicine, revolutionizing the way we monitor and manage patients during various surgical scenarios. This presentation is dedicated to shedding light on the fundamental principles, practical applications, and clinical benefits of capnography in veterinary practice. The presentation will commence by introducing the basic principles of capnography, elucidating the physiological underpinnings of carbon dioxide (CO2) measurement, and its significance in assessing both ventilatory and circulatory aspects of patient health. Attendees will gain insights into the mechanics of capnography, including the technology behind mainstream and side stream […]

Curious George Goes to The Podium

Panel Discussion - In-person/live

Nose Cone vs Intubated Ventilation During Open Chest Surgery in Rats – Nina Krutrök, AstraZeneca The aim of this study was to investigate if nose cone ventilation is comparable to endotracheal intubation. The latter is the most common approach for air delivery to rats undergoing open chest surgery for cardiovascular research during for example induction of myocardial infarction or epicardial injections. This method of air delivery is technically challenging leading to prolonged procedures and increased risk of endotracheal complications such as laryngeal damage and laryngeal edema, oral pharyngeal and/or tracheal laceration due to multiple intubation attempts. Nose cone ventilation is a […]