Application of highly immunodeficient mice for biomedical research.

Abstract

Development of novel strains of immunodeficient mice has begun to provide the opportunity to utilize mice model for the study of human specific diseases and human stem cell research. The introduction of NOD/Scid based immunodeficient mice such as NOG (NOD/Scid/IL2Rγ^null), NSG (NOD/Scid/IL2Rγ^null), and NOJ (NOD/Scid/Jak3^null) mice, led to a breakthrough in the ability to engraft hematopoietic stem cells effectively creating human hematopoietic and immune systems in these mice. These humanized mice are now becoming increasing important as pre-clinical model for the study of HIV and other human specific infectious diseases. Recently, patient derived tumor xenograft (PDX) for these highly immunodeficient mice are also in the spotlight, since PDX at low passage have been shown to conserve original tumor characteristics such as heterogeneous histology, clinical biomolecular signature, malignant phenotypes and genotypes, tumor architecture and tumor vasculature. These mice are also applied for regenerative medicine using tissue specific stem cells and iPS. Thus, these human xenograft animal models contribute to study human immunology, stem cell biology, and cancer research, and are getting powerful tool for advancing Precision Medicine. Development of novel strains of immunodeficient mice has begun to provide the opportunity for the study of human specific diseases and human stem cell research. The intrimmunodeficient mice such as NOG (NOD/Scid/IL2Rγ^null), NSG (NOD/Scid/IL2Rγ^null), mice, led to a breakthrough in the ability to engraft hematopoietic stem cells effectively and immune systems in these mice. These humanized mice are now becoming increasing model for the study of HIV and other human specific infectious diseases. Recently, patient derived tumor xenograft (PDX)for these highly immunodeficient mice are also in the spotlight, since PDX at low passage immunodeficient mice such as NOG (NOD/Scid/IL2Rγ^null), NSG (NOD/Scid/IL2Rγ^null), and NOJ (NOD/Scid/Jak3^null) mice, led to a breakthrough in the ability to engraft hematopoietic stem cells effectively creating human hematopoietic and immune systems in these mice. These humanized mice are now becoming increasing important as pre-clinical model for the study of HIV and other human specific infectious diseases. Recently, patient derived tumor xenograft (PDX) for these highly immunodeficient mice are also in the spotlight, since PDX at low passage have been shown to conserve original tumor characteristics such as heterogeneous histology, clinical biomolecular signature, malignant phenotypes and genotypes, tumor architecture and tumor vasculature. These mice are also applied for regenerative medicine using tissue specific stem cells and iPS. Thus, these human xenograft animal models contribute to study human immunology, stem cell biology, and cancer research, and are getting powerful tool for advancing Precision Medicine.