Neuroscience Injection Syringes (Neuros)
Custom Built Products
The brain of a mouse or rat is extremely small. Customers that were using a standard 0.5 µL chromatography syringe were concerned with the size of the 25 gauge needle and the straightness over its 70 mm length. The preferred gauge is smaller than 30 gauge and the needle must be straight enough to facilitate positioning of the needle point with a stereotaxic frame.
Collaboration
Custom Built Engineers reviewed the requirements and determined that it was possible to use a 32 gauge needle, however since the plunger travels inside the needle it was not possible to shorten it to less than 70 mm. Since a 70 mm long 32 gauge needle would be too flexible, they constructed an adjustable sleeve that maintains the needle's straightness and enables an adjustable penetration depth between 0 and 20 mm. This sleeve keeps the needle perfectly straight and provides support during insertion. The resulting syringe performed so well that it was eventually released as the Neuros product line and has become the standard for small volume animal injections.