Neuroscience is our core expertise and our passion. Out of the passion for neuroscience, we do two kinds of things at Neurotar:
Neurotar® contract research for CNS drug developers
We provide in vivo two-photon imaging as a service for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that target disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). Our team can image both the anesthetized and awake mice longitudinally over a course of several days, weeks, or even months. Two-photon imaging penetrates the brain down to 700-900 micrometers and allows resolving single cells and organelles, such as mitochondria. It allows monitoring the disease progression or the effects of treatment with micrometer resolution over a long time and does not require using large groups of animals. For this reason, our services advance the industry’s imperative to Reduce, Refine, and Replace animal experimentation (RRR).
Mobile HomeCage® research tools for neuroscience labs worldwide
Neurotar team also develops research tools that allow neuroscientists to study the brain of awake and behaving mice using high precision techniques such as two-photon, wide-field, and functional ultrasound imaging, electrophysiology, and optogenetics. These techniques require stable head fixation. In an awake mouse, head fixation must be combined with active locomotion that reduces stress. Neurotar’s proprietary Mobile HomeCage® is the only head-fixation system integrated with two-dimensional locomotion and a unique (magnetic) locomotion tracking solution. The latter allows integrating high precision techniques with behavior.
Neurotar® device business serves both academic and industrial neuroscience labs primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia. In addition to providing research equipment, we also help set up the experiments in awake mice, which requires a great deal of knowledge, know-how and patience. We share all that we know because we believe that studying the awake brain is more relevant than studying the drugged brain. But we also realize that studying the awake brain is more difficult, which is why we want to save our customers’ time by preempting their mistakes.
Out of passion for neuroscience
We are a small group of scientists and science enthusiasts with an extensive background in neuroscience, two-photon imaging, and electrophysiology hoping to contribute to a better understanding of brain functions and dysfunctions. We also hope that our work helps to advance the treatments of neurodegenerative diseases that plague the modern world.