Training Models

There is a constant need to perform intravenous injections on mice and we recognized the urge to optimize trainings for this demanding task. Injecting into the lateral tail veins of a mouse can be challenging and performing this technique reliably usually requires numerous repetitions and therewith animals. 

Current developments in 3D printing technologies and materials offer great potential for next-level physical training models in the field of laboratory animal sciences. Therefore, we combined our knowledge about the specific requirements of training rodent experimental procedures with the AddManFactory, offering expertise of state-of-the-art 3D printing to create realistic 3D printed mouse tails. These artificial tails (containing vessels filled with artificial blood) can be used for i.v. injection trainings to a) train dexterity, b) familiarize with the necessary equipment and c) learn the technique step by step for as many repetitions as necessary before training on live animals. Artificial mouse tails present an excellent opportunity to implement animal-free learning tools into the training of basic skills required for many rodent experiments, thus reducing the number of animals used for training as well as the suffering of mice used for the final (in vivo) training step.