Project description:The clinical management of type 1 diabetes (T1D) faces the lack of fully predictive biomarkers and of antigen-specific therapies to prevent its development. From a therapeutic standpoint, preclinical modls of T1D have fallen short of directly translating into the human. To circumvent this limitation, we developed a new mouse model that is deficient for expression of murine major histocompatibility complex class I, class II and of murine insulin genes and instead expresses HLA-A*02:01, the high susceptibility HLA-DQ8 molecule and human insulin. The metabolic and immune phenotype of these mice is basically identical to that of the parental strains. Upon expression of B7.1 under the control of the rat insulin promoter, these mice develop T1D along with a T-lymphocyte response to human preproinsulin epitopes spanning the whole autoantigen sequence. This new model will allow evaluating peptide-based immunotherapy that may directly apply to human T1D.
Project description:To circumvent the limitations of available preclinical models for the study of type 1 diabetes (T1D), we developed a new humanized model, the YES-RIP-hB7.1 mouse. This mouse is deficient of murine major histocompatibility complex class I and class II, the murine insulin genes, and expresses as transgenes the HLA-A*02:01 allele, the diabetes high-susceptibility HLA-DQ8A and B alleles, the human insulin gene, and the human co-stimulatory molecule B7.1 in insulin-secreting cells. It develops spontaneous T1D along with CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses to human preproinsulin epitopes. Most of the responses identified in these mice were validated in T1D patients. This model is amenable to characterization of hPPI-specific epitopes involved in T1D and to the identification of factors that may trigger autoimmune response to insulin-secreting cells in human T1D. It will allow evaluating peptide-based immunotherapy that may directly apply to T1D in human and complete preclinical model availability to address the issue of clinical heterogeneity of human disease.
Project description:Discoidin domain-containing receptor 1 (DDR1) plays an important role in cancer progression. However, the DDR1 function in tumors is still elusive. We recently reported that DDR1 promoted collagen fiber alignment and formation of a physical barrier, which causes immune exclusion from tumors. We also demonstrated that our DDR1 ECD-targeting mAbs can disrupt collagen fiber alignment and increase T Cell infiltration in tumors. In this study, we humanized a DDR1 ECD-targeting mAb and showed significant antitumor efficacy in an immunocompetent mouse model. We determined the binding epitope using gene mutagenesis, hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), and X-ray crystallography. Mechanistically, we showed that the humanized mAb inhibited DDR1 phosphorylation and, more importantly, blocked DDR1 shedding and disrupted a physical barrier formed by collagen fiber alignment in tumors. This study not only paves a pathway for development of PRTH-101 as a cancer therapeutic, but also broaden our understanding of the roles of DDR1 in modulation of collagen alignments in tumor extracellular matrix and tumor immune microenvironment.
Project description:Standard preclinical human tumor models lack a human tumor stroma. However, as stroma contributes to therapeutic resistance, the lack of human stroma may make current models less stringent for testing new therapies. To address this, we created a human in mouse model of cancer with a human tumor stroma. This humanized immune stroma patient derived xenograft (HIS-PDX) uses patient-derived tumor cells, cancer-associated mesenchymal stem cells and human endothelial cells transplanted into BLT (bone marrow, liver, thymus) humanized mice. The model contains human connective tissues, vascular and immune cell infiltrates. RNA sequencing analysis demonstrated a 94-96% correlation with primary human tumor. Using this model, we demonstrate the impact of human tumor stroma on response to both small molecule and immune therapies. Combined our data confirm a critical role for human stoma plays an important role in therapeutic response and that this model can be an important tool for preclinical drug testing.
Project description:Loss of function mutations in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative factor (Nef) gene are associated with reduced viremia, robust T cell immune response, and delayed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) progression in humans. Additionally, in vitro studies have shown that mutations in Nef's dimerization interface may play a significant role in modulating viral replication and impairing host defense. However, in vivo, mechanistic studies on the role of Nef dimerization in HIV infection are lacking. Humanized rodent models with human immune cells are robust platforms for investigating the interactions between HIV and the human immune system. We recently developed the bone marrow-liver-thymus-spleen (BLTS) humanized mouse model, which carries human immune cells, as well as primary and secondary lymphoid tissues that facilitate anti-viral immune responses. Here, we employed the BLTS-humanized mouse model to demonstrate that preventing Nef dimerization abrogates HIV viremia and the associated induction of immune dysregulation (immune activation and exhaustion). This suggests that Nef dimerization may be a therapeutic target for future HIV cure strategies, which can be explored in humanized mouse models.
Project description:It has been demonstrated that CXCL12 inhibits hair growth via CXCR4, and its neutralizing antibody (Ab) increases hair growth in alopecia areata (AA). However, the molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we further prepared humanized CXCL12 Ab for AA treatment and investigated underlying molecular mechanisms using single-cell RNA sequencing. Subcutaneous injection of humanized CXCL12 Ab significantly delayed AA onset in mice, and dorsal skin was analyzed. T cells and dendritic cells/macrophages were increased in the AA model, but decreased after CXCL12 Ab treatment. Pseudobulk RNA sequencing identified 153 differentially expressed genes that were upregulated in AA model and downregulated after Ab treatment. Gene ontology analysis revealed that immune cell chemotaxis and cellular response to type II interferon were upregulated in AA model but downregulated after Ab treatment. We further identified key immune cell-related genes such as Ifng, Cd8a, Ccr5, Ccl4, Ccl5, and Il21r, which were colocalized with Cxcr4 in T cells and regulated by CXCL12 Ab treatment. Notably, CD8+ T cells were significantly increased and activated via Jak/Stat pathway in the AA model but inactivated after CXCL12 Ab treatment. Collectively, these results indicate that humanized CXCL12 Ab is promising for AA treatment via immune modulatory effects.
Project description:Background: Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) has been associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, potential sex divergence and the underlying mechanisms remain understudied. iAs is not metabolized uniformly across species, which is a limitation of typical exposure studies in rodent models. The development of a new “humanized” mouse model overcomes this limitation. In this study, we leverage this model to study sex differences in the context of iAs exposure. Objectives: The aim of this study iwas to determine if males and females exhibit different liver and adipose molecular profiles and metabolic phenotypes in the context of iAs exposure. Methods: Our study was performed on wild-type (WT) 129S6/SvEvTac and humanized arsenic +3 methyl transferase (human AS3MT) 129S6/SvEvTac mice treated with 400 ppb of iAs via drinking water ad libitum. After 1 month, mice were sacrificed and the liver and epididymales gonadal adipose depot were harvested for iAs quantification as well as sequencing-based microRNA and gene expression analysis. Serum blood was collected for fasting blood glucose, fasting plasma insulin, and HOMA-IR. Results: We detected sex divergence in liver and adipose markers of diabetes (e.g., insulin signaling pathways, fasting blood glucose, fasting plasma insulin, and HOMA-IR) only in humanized (not WT) male mice. In humanized female mice, numerous genes that promote insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in both the liver and adipose are elevated compared to humanized male mice. We also identified Klf11 as a putative master regulator of the sex divergence in gene expression in humanized mice. Discussion: Our study underscoreds the importance of future studies leveraging the humanized mouse model to study iAs-associated metabolic disease. The findings also suggest suggested that humanized females are protected from metabolic dysfunction relative to humanized males in the context of iAs exposure. Future investigations should focus on the detailed mechanisms that underlie the sex divergence, including the potential role of miR-34a and/or Klf11.
Project description:<p>Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the only known curative option for many hematologic disorders. After transplantation, many patients develop immune mediated disorders that may be life-threatening. Post-HCT immune mediated disorders are rare relative to other diseases but the prototype of graft versus host disease (GVHD) develops in 30-70% of patients. The morbidity and mortality associated with these HCT-associated immune mediated disorders are major barriers to successful use of transplantation to cure rare hematologic malignancies such as leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative syndromes amongst other diseases.</p> <p>The purpose of this study is to characterize and more completely define the onset and course of immune mediated disorders after allogeneic HCT, focusing on participants who develop cutaneous sclerosis, bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), late acute graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD), and chronic GVHD. <ul> <li>Of the participants undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), can we, the researchers better identify who will develop immune-mediated disorders, what types of disorders participants will have, and whether these disorders will be severe or respond to currently available therapies?</li> </ul> </p> <p>This is a longitudinal study of 1118 individuals (1081 adults and 100 children). Those participating in this study will be evaluated over a 3 year period at 9 study sites. Participants will be enrolled pre-transplant, or up to day 121 post transplantation. This wide enrollment window will allow sites to use recruitment methods that are most efficient at their institutions. At least 2 years of follow-up will ensure an adequate sample size, and sufficient time for observation of the full spectrum of immune mediated disorders. The data of 1023 individuals have been submitted to dbGaP.</p>