Services

The Penn Vet airway physiology core features the Buxco Fine-Pointe® resistance/compliance instrument, the flexiVent® instrument, and the Buxco® Small Animal Whole Body Plethysmography instrument.

The devices allow simultaneous measurements of resistance and dynamic compliance and tidal volume either anesthetized mice (Buxco Fine-Pointe® resistance/compliance instrument and flexiVent® instrument) or non-anesthetized mice (Buxco® Small Animal Whole Body Plethysmography) simultaneously.

The systems utilize delivering aerosolized methacholine, a synthetic choline and agonist of the muscarinic receptor, which is used clinically to diagnose asthma and other lung disorders associated with airway hypersensitivity and constriction.

What We Offer

Consultation

Consultation for experimental design and animal protocol amendment, if needed. Client may opt to transfer their mice to the Core’s existing protocol, or may need to add experimental drugs or treatments of interest to the existing protocol.
Inhalation Models
Inhalation models of allergic and non-allergic environmental exposures
- Inhalation models of allergic and non-allergic environmental exposures
- Transgenic phenotyping
- Therapeutic drug discovery
Measurement & Assessment
Measurement and assessment of airway physiology and lung compliance in mice
- FlexiVent® system
- Buxco® FinePointe Resistance and Compliance system
Non-invasive Whole Body Plethysmography

Buxco® Small Animal Whole Body Plethysmography system

Additional Services

The staff of the Airway Pathology Core will:

Collect samples following invasive measurements (e.g., blood, brochoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung)
Prepare lung tissues for histopathology
Count total and differential cell populations in bronchoalveolar lavage
Provide consultation for pulmonary data analysis and interpretation