CRACK-IT Challenges launch event: Register now

CRACK-IT Challenges launch event: Register now

The NC3Rs is looking to invest through its new initiative CRACK-IT in new technologies and methodologies with the potential to minimise animal use and improve animal welfare for the global biosciences research community.

Working with industry we have identified six business challenges and we are now looking to the academic and SME sectors to provide the solutions with funding from the NC3Rs and in kind contributions from industry sponsors.

The Challenges will be launched at a meeting in central London on 20 September 2011, where there will be opportunities to:

Meet the industry sponsors during Challenge-specific surgeries;
Identify new collaborators to help solve these Challenges.
The Challenges and the types of expertise that may be needed are below – full briefs for all Challenges are now available:

A predictive in vitro screen for nephrotoxicity: from mice to men and back again
Cell culture, tissue engineering, stem cells, cellular and molecular assays (e.g. high content imaging, genomics, real-time read outs, etc.)
Wireless recording of the electrophysiology of cognition in psychiatric disease models
Rodent behaviour, in vivo electrophysiology, telemetry, mechanical and electrical engineering, software development
Rodent Big Brother: automated recording of rodent activity and temperature in the home cage
Software and data collection, sensor electronics, telemetry
Improving the predictive capacity of in vitro cytokine release assays to reduce animal use and drug attrition
Immunology, cellular assays, antibody structure and function
Improved in vitro to in vivo extrapolation in chemical safety risk assessment of human systemic toxicity
Cell biology, physiology, chemistry, mathematical modelling, systems biology
BADIPS – Generating human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) to study bipolar affective disorder
Clinical scientists, stem cells, neurobiology, mechanical engineering, cellular assay
development

Potential applicants are strongly recommended to attend the launch meeting.

To sign up to the event go to www.nc3rs.org.uk/crackit-launchevent