Delta Phenomics offers high-throughput behavioral phenotyping using PhenoMAP™, our fully automated continuous observation, experimentation and analysis platform. This Multidimensional Analysis Platform is the result of many years of research, development and validation studies conducted by the company founders and their collaborators.

Photo by: Annemarie Baars

PhenoMAP allows objective collection and sophisticated analysis of behavioral data in a novel paradigm, based on long-term fully automated observation in an enriched home cage environment, avoiding human intervention, animal handling and animal transportation as much as possible. With PhenoMAP, we bring the experiment to the animal’s home cage rather than transporting the animal to a new experimental setup for a relatively short time period. By doing so, we allow the animal more degrees of freedom in selecting a behavioral response and thus to display spontaneous behavior, even if the focus of the experiment is on specifically elicited behaviors. This results in a very rich behavioral data set, bringing to light subtle effects of pharmacological treatment or genetic differences.

The PhenoMAP platform consists of three tightly integrated components:

• An enhanced and scalable version of the EthoVision^® video tracking and behavior recognition software plus especially designed data analysis software.
• A collection of innovative, validated test protocols for the assessment of specific brain functions and behavioral disorders. New protocols are designed and validated in collaboration with our customers.
• A large array of PhenoTyper^® test cages, instrumented with sensors and stimulus devices, connected to a distributed computer system for high-performance data acquisition, storage and analysis. Different cage designs are available for mice and rats.

The software and hardware components of the PhenoMAP platform are manufactured by our strategic partner Noldus Information Technology. The test protocols are developed by Delta Phenomics. The close partnership of a leading manufacturer of research tools and an innovative CRO leads to a ‘dream team’ of scientists and engineers ready to help you.