Value of Measuring Animal Body Temperatures in Research
Body temperature is a fundamental parameter for evaluating health status of an animal in the clinical or research setting. Temperature is also a valuable biomarker to determine humane end points for animal welfare, as well as a useful clinical indicator for evaluating disease onset and progression in infectious disease models.
Although body temperature data is such a useful readout in research studies, it is often not evaluated due to measurement challenges. Rectal thermometry is the most common method used for core temperature measurements, but this technique is not only time- and labor-intensive, but also can lead to significant animal distress due to manual restraint required for device insertion. Non-contact infrared thermometry is less invasive, but this method can be influenced by external ambient temperatures, which can lead to inaccurate temperature readings. Therefore, a practical and reliable method for routine temperature measurements in research animals is required.
Reliable and Convenient Method for Monitoring Animal Body Temperature
The UID Temperature Monitoring System circumvents the challenges confronted with other temperature collection methods and provides a practical, reliable and non-intrusive means for frequent temperature measurements. It is designed for acquiring accurate temperature readings from conscious and unrestrained laboratory animals, reducing stress and ensuring reliable data.
The UID Temperature Monitoring System consists of a small microchip with an integrated temperature biosensor, an RFID reader that retrieves the temperature data with a quick and simple scan, and a specialized injection device for implanting the microchip.
Components of the UID Temperature Monitoring System
A miniature RFID transponder with integrated temperature biosensor.
- Temperature accuracy: ±0.1°C @ 38°C
- Temperature resolution: ±0.1°C
- Temperature range: 25°C – 50°C
- Small Size: 2.1mm x 13mm
- Individually packaged in sterile cannula for quick and easy insertion
A range of microchip readers designed to meet your specific research need and workflow
- Stationary or mobile applications
- Battery or A/C powered
- Handheld or desktop
- Bluetooth/USB/HID communication
A selection of microchip injector systems are available to meet the specific application.
- Designed for error-free, quick and easy microchip injection
- Reusable
- Subcutaneous, intramuscular or intraperitoneal injection
Convenient and Easy to Use
Subcutaneous microchip implantation is quick and minimally invasive, requiring only injection of the microchip through a sterile hypodermic needle. After implantation, measuring the animal’s temperature is completely noninvasive and easily collected with a simple scan, and as often as needed.
Accurate Temperature Readings
The UID Temperature Microchip is the only GLP-validated, temperature transponder available for laboratory animal research with unmatched accuracy to ±0.1o C @ 38oC. Reliable temperature measurements are reported in 0.1o C increments within the 25oC – 50oC temperature range.
Simple Temperature Measurements
Routine temperature measurements are obtained non-intrusively with a quick and simple scan from a compatible reader. The reader is waived within a few centimeters from the implantation site until the temperature transponder is detected, then the animal’s temperature and identification code are displayed on the screen.
More Research Data
In addition to providing temperature and unique ID, each temperature-sensing microchip contains up to 16 alphanumeric characters of on-board memory for programming with any customized coding sequence, which might be used to represent information such as the study number, genotype, investigator name, project number, animal’s sex, or animal’s date of birth.
Automatic Data Collection
UID readers connect easily to a computer via wireless or serial link communication. This feature allows for automatic import of temperature and animal ID directly into an Excel spreadsheet or Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS).
Benefits
Why Choose UID Over Competitors?
Superior Quality & Reliability
- UID offers the only GLP-validated, temperature microchip on the market.
- Durable, high-quality readers with low repair rate.
- UID microchips are manufactured under stringent quality standards which result in extremely low failure rates (1 PPM), compared to the 1-5% failure rates reported by users of competitor microchips.
Unmatched Accuracy
- The UID temperature microchip is the only GLP-validated, temperature transponder available for laboratory research with unsurpassed accuracy of ±0.1o C @ 38o C, compared to the 0.2-0.5o C accuracy reported by other vendors of temperature microchips.
Greater Flexibility & Versatility
- UID universal readers are designed to read any UID microchip, compared to the competitor, which offers dedicated readers for each microchip type.
- UID offers a wide range of readers available with multiple read distances to meet the specific process and application.
Improved Features
- Maintain sterility: UID microchips are available in sterile cannula and packaged individually in blister pack, compared to competitor microchips, which are provided as multiple injectors in a tray, which compromises sterility once opened.
- Smaller size: The UID Temperature microchip is smaller (2.1mm x 13mm) in size compared to the competitor microchip (2.2mm x 14mm)
- Eco-friendly: UID microchips are provided in disposable cannula for use with a reusable injector, compared to our competitor which offers disposable, plastic applicators for each microchip.
- UID readers are FCC compliant.
- UID readers can be set to continuous mode for frequent and continuous temperature data collection (as often as every 1-5 seconds).
Lower Costs
- Lower cost readers and microchips compared to competitor prices.
- All UID microchips can be used with any of our universal scanners, compared to our competitor which offers a dedicated scanner for each microchip type.
Exceptional Customer Service and Support
- We provide IT-integration support to ensure seamless data transfer.
- We deliver dedicated customer support for product installation and training.
- We offer a 30-day, risk-free equipment trial.
- We are scientists, and we understand our client’s needs.
- We care! Customer satisfaction is our top priority.
All Species
Research Applications
Home Cage Temperature & Activity Monitoring
- Continuous, real time (24/7) recording of animal location, movement and temperature.
- Undisturbed, remote monitoring of Group Housed animal activity.
- Individual monitoring of up to 5 mice per cage.
- Objective monitoring of animal behavior at night when the lights are off and rodents are most active.
- Create your own Smart Cage for rodent activity monitoring.
A Method to Facilitate COVID-19 Research
The UID Temperature Monitoring System is ideal for COVID-19 studies designed for evaluating the safety and efficacy of emerging therapeutics and vaccines in animal models. Increased interest is coming within Contract Research Organizations (CROs) that supply animal models and services to the pharmaceutical industry. Taconic Biosciences, a global leader in drug discovery animal models and services, has integrated RFID temperature monitoring technology into its portfolio, catering to COVID-19 and other disease models. Taconic Biosciences provides clients animal models equipped with pre-embedded UID temperature biosensors, facilitating temperature data acquisition with a quick and simple UID reader scan. This service is designed to enhance COVID-19 research by streamlining routine temperature collection processes, thus saving time and accelerating research results.
Customer Testimonials
“The temp microchips were a godsend! The entire staff was incredibly happy – much faster to collect the temps and MUCH less messy! ? It was so quick and easy getting the temps, that we were able to collect them 3x/day from 50 lambs and thus catch animals sooner when they were getting ill. Plus we were able to provide additional data for the researchers, which they appreciated. All around this change was a raving success!”
“My company has migrated to almost exclusive use of RFID for identification. This facilitates workflows and electronic data collections and reduced the human error in maintaining and reading other forms of identification. We exclusively use rodent models. The platform we use is from UID Identification Solutions for both rats and mice. The chips are proprietary to the UID readers but they have a whole series from handheld, to wands, and pass throughs. The chips are very reasonable in price and come with the advantage of user defined character space on the chip identification. This was very attractive to us as we can put our animal numbers and study numbers on the chip in human readable form rather than relying on a computer to read the chip code (very hard for staff to use that number to drive operations). In addition, we have now been using their temperature capable chips that will simultaneously provide body temperature at the same time as the animal ID, very useful for our host resistance studies. We are also using the 2D arrays from that are the footprint of rodent cages and facilitate tracking animal activity and body temperature in real-time. We are very pleased with the product and will continue to use UID. In addition, their customer service and troubleshooting is very good, responsive, and timely.”
“The UID microchips and reader are wonderful, practical, simple, and very easy to use. We tested it on mice that we analyzed for 30 days. After that time, the reader correctly read all the animals. We are very happy with the purchase and very grateful for this recommendation.”
“We use the Unified Information Devices (UID) equipment at our facility, we have been using it for about 3 years now. All of their equipment is durable and on the rare occasion we need something repaired they have never charged us for it! Their micro-chips are programable but don’t have to be as each chip has a unique number/letter combination already on that can be used for identification. As far as I know this system is compatible with most any data collection programs being used. UID has everything you need for animal identification, TA jar identification, micro-chip implantation, etc. They will also work with you on quantity pricing for micro-chips and other items. UIDs customer service is second to none. If I have a problem I call (they will answer) or e-mail them and they are always happy to help. I have zero complaints with UID.”
The temperature monitoring system “…is working excellent. We were surprised how close we had to hold it to the animal [pigs] and it has to be held what we consider upside down. However, it is ten thousand times better than taking rectal temps!”
“Many months ago, we ordered a pair of URH-1HP handheld readers for a massive mouse experiment. I wanted to say that the device worked well beyond our expectations! We are planning a bigger repeat experiment now…”
“I did our pilot study with just the microchips and I came in 2x/day to take temps. It was nice that the reader worked through the cage, so I didn’t have to open each cage twice a day.”
“The chips and reader are working fantastically! Very pleased with this ID method. Thanks so much for your help with everything! For now, we’ll continue to have our mice implanted via Jax, but we’ll definitely be using UID chips for the foreseeable future.”
“We have been using the temperature microchips in a few pigs now and they work well. Anecdotally, the microchip and rectal temperatures are the same. I am happy with the option overall.”
“The temperature transponders are working great. Quick and easy to use and it’s producing reliable temp readings.”
“As someone who used to (and still does when helping with other people’s projects) use a rectal probe for temperature monitoring, these chips are an amazing time saver, way more accurate and help keep my mice straightened out over the prolonged period I have them. I thoroughly enjoy using them. I would hate to go back to a rectal probe!”
“We are using the temp microchips and scanner in our current study. Right now, with proper configuration of the excel, it takes less than 5 min to scan 30 mice. I like it!”
“The UID temp microchip and hand-held reader helped us tremendously in conducting research studies. This technology provides better animal health monitoring and less stress to both humans and animals. All our research team members are very happy with these. Fellow researchers in our University have started to use UID temp microchips as well. Highly recommended!”
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