Tat-Fit: Developing a method that allows tamoxifen to be added to rodent chow without changing its palatability or consumption by the animals

Tamoxifen is widely used to temporally and spatially express or delete genes in mice using the CRE recombinase system. Rodent chow containing tamoxifen is commercially available, but mice do not readily consume it because of its bitter taste, so may ingest varying amounts and could lose weight. As a result, tamoxifen is typically administered using invasive methods such as oral gavage, which can be stressful for the animal and time-consuming for staff.

Sponsored by the Mary Lyon Centre (MRC Harwell), the Tat-Fit Challenge aims to develop a method that allows tamoxifen to be added to rodent chow without changing its palatability or levels of consumption by the animals. Delivering a palatable form of tamoxifen could reduce potential welfare concerns associated with its bitter taste and lead to a reduction in the overall number of mice used through more consistent dosing.

Funding has been awarded to a team led by Dr Fang Liu (Fluid Pharma Ltd) to develop taste-masking coated tamoxifen particles, applying the proprietary MicroCoatTM technology.

Full details about this CRACK IT Challenge can be found on the Innovation Platform website.