The pace of drug discovery for therapeutics based on biological materials is rapidly accelerating. Yet, the same specificity that can make biologics efficacious in humans can limit or eliminate the relevant therapeutic biology in test species, such as mice. In an article in The Journal of Precision Medicine, Taconic Biosciences' Dr. Paul Volden reviews the challenges of preclinical research on biologics, the utility of humanized immune system (HIS) models in this important work, and considerations when selecting a HIS model for biologics drug discovery:
“The ability to support engraftment of a wide range of human cell types and both normal and diseased tissues, to express human cytokines that are critical to intercellular signaling, and to harbor the multitude of human molecules expressed by the engrafted human components make HIS models effective and powerful tools for evaluating biologics, and feasible alternatives to either genetically engineering a model that expresses the desired drug target or developing surrogate test articles”
Read more at: thejournalofprecisionmedicine.com
“The ability to support engraftment of a wide range of human cell types and both normal and diseased tissues, to express human cytokines that are critical to intercellular signaling, and to harbor the multitude of human molecules expressed by the engrafted human components make HIS models effective and powerful tools for evaluating biologics, and feasible alternatives to either genetically engineering a model that expresses the desired drug target or developing surrogate test articles”