Humanized mice for the development and testing of human vaccines

Abstract

Mouse models of human disease form a link between genetics and biology. However, mice and humans differ in many aspects of immune system biology. These differences might explain, in part, why many successful preclinical immunotherapy studies in mice turn out to be unsuccessful when used in clinical trials in humans. Pioneering studies in the late 1980s demonstrated the reconstitution of human lympho–hematopoietic cells in immunodeficient mice. Since this time, immunodeficient mice are being tested as hosts for human hematopoietic organs or cells in an effort to create an in vivo model of the complete human immune system. Such Humouse models could permit us to generate and test novel human vaccines.

Keywords::

• CD34 HPC
• humanized mice
• immune system
• immunotherapy
• vaccine

Acknowledgments

The authors thank their colleagues and collaborators for their contribution to their progresses. The authors are grateful to all former and present members of BIIR. The authors thank M Ramsay and W Duncan for their support. Due to limited space the authors could only cite a fraction of the published work. Supported by Baylor Healthcare Systems Foundation, the DANA Foundation (JB), DARPA (JB), the National Institutes of Health (CA89440 and AI056001 to AKP, AIO57234, CA78846 and CA85540 to J Banchereau). J Banchereau holds the Caruth Chair for Transplantation Immunology Research. AK Palucka holds the Ramsay Chair for Cancer Immunology Research.