System and methods for evaluating efficacy of appetite-affecting drugs

• US 20070280887A1
• Filed: 06/04/2007
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Creighton University
• Original Assignee: Creighton University
• Inventors: Reidelberger, Roger D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,977,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 424/9.200
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 49/0008 Screening agents using (non-human) animal models or transgenic animal models or chimeric hosts, e.g. Alzheimer disease animal model, transgenic model for heart failure
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5088 of vertebrates

Abstract

System and methods to evaluate and administer drugs. The present invention instantaneously identifies the effects that drugs, including appetite-affecting agents, have on animals. Data is collected automatically and analyzed and further organized to identify feeding patterns and the effect an appetite-affecting agent has on those feeding patterns. The present invention includes a system for data management, including a program with a data acquisition phase and a data analyzing phase to determine the feeding patterns of animals to aid in the evaluation of appetite-affecting drug efficacy.

Claims

1. A system for determining the efficacy of drugs on an animal, comprising:

a cage including the animal;

a drug-delivery device including a drug source for delivering a predetermined amount of at least one appetite-affecting agent to the animal;

a food source available to the animal;

a scale associated with said food source;

a control unit configured to collect data from said scale at a predetermined interval, wherein said control unit is further configured to analyze the data to determine feeding patterns of the animal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data includes food weight data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said appetite-affecting agent is Peptide YY_3-36.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said scale is configured to communicate over a network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said drug-delivery device is configured to communicate over a network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said control unit is configured to communicate over a network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said control unit is configured to collect drug data from said drug-delivery device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said drug-delivery device comprises a plurality of said drug sources.

9. A system for determining the efficacy of drugs on an animal, comprising:

a plurality of drug-delivery devices, each of said drug-delivery devices including a drug source and a pump, wherein said pump initiates delivery of a predetermined amount of at least one appetite-affecting agent from said drug source to the animal;

a plurality of cage scale assemblies, each of said cage scale assemblies including a cage, a scale and a food source, wherein each of said scales are associated with each of said food source for the animal;

a control unit configured to receive data from at least one of said each of said scales at a predetermined interval, said control unit further configured to store the data.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said each of said scales is configured to determine food weight and transmit food weight data to a processor.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein a data storage medium is operatively associated with said control unit.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein said appetite-affecting agent is at least one from the following group of:

Peptide YY_3-36 (PYY), cholecystokinin, amylin, salmon calcitonin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), exendin-4, oxyntomodulin, pancreatic polypeptide, gastrin-releasing peptides GRP-27 and GRP-10, enterostatin, apolipoprotein A-IV, leptin, melanocortin receptor 3 and 4 agonists including melanotan II, opioid receptor antagonists including naloxone and naltrexone, and endocanabinoid receptor antagonists AM251 and Rimonabant.

13. A data management system, comprising:

a data acquisition phase, said data acquisition phase including an initial setup segment and a data collection segment, wherein said initial setup segment includes an input of parameters for evaluation of efficacy of a drug, and said data collection segment includes recordation of feeding data; and

a data analyzing phase, said data analyzing phase analyzes the feeding data and determines the efficacy of a drug.

14. The data management system of claim 13, wherein said data analyzing phase further includes organization of said data into records.

15. The data management system of claim 13, wherein the feeding data includes at least one from a group:

animal identification number, date, time, and value of food weight, type of appetite-affecting agent delivered, location of drug delivery, dose and volume infusion rate, amount of food intake during specified intervals of time, time of occurrence, duration, size and frequency of distinct meals, and average meal size, meal duration and number of meals during specified intervals of time.

16. The data management system of claim 13, wherein the parameters include control parameters and identification parameters.

17. A method of determining the efficacy of a drug, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of drug-delivery devices, each of the drug-delivery devices being capable of delivering a predetermined amount of at least one appetite-affecting agent to an animal, at least one of the drug-delivery devices being connected to one of the plurality of animals;

administering at least one appetite-affecting agent to one of the plurality of animals;

supplying at least one food source available to the one of the plurality of animals;

arranging a plurality of scales, at least one of the plurality of scales being in association with the at least one food source;

monitoring food consumption of the animal;

recording data associated with the food consumption; and

evaluating the data to obtain feeding patterns of the animal with respect to the administered drug.

18. A method of determining the efficacy of a drug, the method comprising:

implanting a catheter into an animal;

connecting an infusion line to the catheter;

attaching a swivel-tether connector to the infusion line;

placing an animal within a cage scale assembly;

administering an appetite-affecting agent from a drug source to the animal via the infusion line;

activating the switchbox;

receiving data from each cage scale assembly controlled by the switchbox;

sending the received data to a control unit;

communicating via a network;

managing the data;

identifying the feeding pattern of the animal; and

determining the efficacy of a drug.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said step of receiving data from the each of the cage assemblies is sequential.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said step of receiving data from the each of the cage assemblies is random.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said step of managing the data further comprises collecting the data into a database.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein said step of managing the data further comprises analyzing the data within the database.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein said step of managing the data further comprises organizing the data into records.