A wire myograph is a type of laboratory apparatus that can measure the contractility of luminal tissue segments smaller than 2 mm in diameter.
[5] Diagrams of the first ever wire myograph were revealed by Mulvany and Halpern in their 1976 paper "Contractile properties of small arterial resistance vessels in [...] rats".
[6] The group based the design of this apparatus on a technique developed by Bevan and Osher to measure arterial contractility ex vivo.
[7] Development of the wire myograph was significant because it allowed researchers to estimate the effect of novel drugs on blood pressure for the first time.
[3] These wires are attached to two opposing stainless steel jaws which secure tissue in place throughout the culture period.