Available Technology
Mapping the Behaviorome: Comprehensive, quantitative, and unbiased visualization of defined behavior states
Technology:
Quantitative behaviorome profiling
Markets Addressed
Animal behavior in response to external stimuli has, in the past, been visualized only by human observation and by recording quasi-qualitative behaviors. For example, the formalin test, and in vivo model of pain, is used to determine the analgesic effect of a compound. A formalin injected mouse paw is observed for a pain-like response, which includes licks, twitches, raising, or shaking. Such a test is inherently qualitative, and requires constant human supervision.
By creating a quantitative 3D visualization of the behaviorome, the automated capture of a drug’s effect on behavior is possible. The effect of a potential drug on existing mouse models, particularly neurobehaviorial models, or wild-type mice can be easily tested against the established behaviorome to determine early efficacy or off-target effects. Furthermore, this technology can be used for target identification or validation by evaluating a knockout or knockdown’s effect on wild-type behavior.
Quantitative behaviorome profiling has the potential to be transformative for biomedicine, particularly in neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. To elucidate the behaviorome in these disease states, researchers are identifying strain-to-strain variation in behavior and identify genes that specify both simple and complex features of behavior.
Innovations and Advantages
While profiling and mapping of the genome, transcriptome, and interactome has yielded new insights in disease pathways and potential opportunities to modulate those pathways, little is known about the behaviorome. The behaviorome is the complete complement of behaviors generated by an animal in a given context and is comprised of two components; the full set of actions exhibited by an animal and the statistical rules that govern how those actions are assembled to generate behavior. Because the behaviorome is the result of both hardwiring and experience, characterizing these behaviors may provide fundamental insight into the neural mechanisms that allow animals to navigate the outside world.
Automated and Quantitative 3D Visualization of Animal Behavior: To date, no method has been established that comprehensively quantifies the actions of an animal and identifies the statistics that govern how these actions are assembled into a behavior. Researchers at Harvard Medical School have created a 3D machine vision system that reveals, for the first time, the actions and action assembly statistics that define the behaviorome. The system uses depth cameras to image and capture the 3D morphology of a mouse in real-time as it behaves, as well as capturing information about probabilities of further actions. Using this method, researchers are able to generate graphical representations of a behavioral state and define particular sequences of states that together constitute specific complex behaviors.
Additional Information
Intellectual Property Status: Patent(s) pending
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Inventor(s):
Datta, Sandeep Robert
Wiltschko, Alexander B.
Categories:
For further information, please contact:
Michal Preminger, Director of Business Development
(617) 432-0920
Reference Harvard Case #4396