Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

One of the largest issues currently facing biomedical research is that many published results cannot be replicated by other research groups. An important reason for this is that many of the assays and models we use have substantial intrinsic variability, and small differences in the testing conditions can lead to large differences in results. This is especially true when testing the behaviour of animals that are used as models of disease, where factors such as stress caused by experimenter handling can strongly affect the outcome of experiments. To address many of these issues, we have developed an automated behavioural testing system which can assess motor skills in several mice at a time within their own home-cage in a standardized and low-stress manner. Specifically, we plan to use this to investigate the behaviour of mice that carry the genetic mutation that causes Huntington's disease (HD), a disorder that results in loss of motor control and affects approximately 1 in 10,000 Canadians. Testing of motor skills in these mice is an important part of determining both whether the animals are a good model for the human disease, and if a potential treatment is effective or not. In this proposed research, I will test two distinct mouse models of HD at early and late stages in order to determine when these motor deficits first appear and how they progress over time. I will also validate the usefulness of this system for drug discovery by assessing the effectiveness of a novel therapeutic in improving the motor performance of these mice. This proposed research will contribute to the further development and automation of behavioural testing methods, increasing our ability to translate findings from basic research to the clinic.