AfaSci, Inc., a California-based company founded in 2003, has pioneered the development of wireless, or USB-cable linked, noninvasive rodent behavior monitoring systems in the animal's homecage. The SmartHomeCage™ series are used for automating in vivo drug screening and the phenotyping of transgenic or gene knockout mice. |
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| Technological innovation and a deep understanding of biological research and the drug discovery marketplace have enable AfaSci to be awarded multiple SBIR and STTR grants and an R01 from the National Institute of Health (NIH). |
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| Based on its enabling behavior monitoring technology, the Company has matured into a provider of contract research services for in vivo behavioral assays using SmartHomeCage series and in vitro drug screening using electrophysiology. |
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| In addition to its products and contract services, AfaSci has established and continues exploring collaborations in translational research and drug discovery. |
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| Management |
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| Dr. Simon X. Xie is the founder and CSO of AfaSci. Dr. Xie has decades of experience in commercial pharmaceutical development, and is also a Consulting Associate Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine. |
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| Collaborations |
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AfaSci has collaborations with several universities and research institutions:
- Dr. Jidong Fang at the Pennsylvania State University, for studying the automation of sleep deprivation; funded by NIH R41HL084990 to Dr. Fang.
- Drs Lawrence Rothblat and Dr. Rona Giffard at The George Washington University and Stanford University, respectively, for Touchscreen evaluation of cognition; funded by NIH R43MH076309 to Dr. Xie.
- Drs Taline Kroyan and Bruce O'Hara at SRI International and University of Kentucky, respectively, for developing sleep/activity monitoring; funded by NIH R44RR017182 to Dr. Xie.
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| Grants |
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The company has been awarded elevent grants for the development of the SmartCage systems and for drug discovery research:
- multiple SBIR Phase I grants
- one Phase II SBIR grant: "High throughput screen of behavior using piezo-imaging" (R44RR017182).
- one STTR Phase I grant: "Development of Automated Noninvasive DiskTreadmills for Sleep Deprivation in Mice" with the Pennsylvania State University Hershey Medical Center (R41HL084990).
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Publications
Publications affiliated with Afasci
Publications from Afasci Scientists
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| Patents |
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