Metered dose inhaler (MDI) drug delivery system for rats

Project Overview

Research is being conducted on the side effects of corticosteroid medications, in particular the effects on the musculature of the tongue and upper airway because atrophy of those muscles can lead to sleep apnea. The goals of this project are to modify the mouthpiece of a metered dose inhaler (MDI) to allow for use by rats in a laboratory setting and develop a way to train the rats to voluntarily and correctly use the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece must be fitted with a custom nozzle sized appropriately for rat usage, as well as account for the fact that the rats will not probably not voluntarily put their mouths around the nozzle at first.

Team Picture

Team members from left to right: Nicholas Difranco, Jason Wan, Yitong He, Claire Hintz, and Kathryn Schwarz.

Images

Files

Preliminary Report (10/8/14) (October 8, 2014)
Final Poster (December 8, 2014)
Final Report (December 9, 2014)
PDS (9/19/14) (September 19, 2014)
Midsemester Presentation (October 2, 2014)

Contact Information

Team Members

Nicholas Difranco - Team Leader
Kathryn Schwarz - Communicator
Claire Hintz - BSAC
Yitong He - BWIG
Jason Wan - BPAG

Advisor and Client

Dr. Jeremy Rogers - Advisor
Dr. Mihaela Teodorescu - Client
Oleg Broytman - Alternate Contact