Charles River has announced their triple immunodeficient mouse model, known as the NCG model, at the 2017 AACR Annual Meeting.
The NCG (NOD-Prkdcem26Cd52Il2rgem26Cd22/NjuCrl) model has had its Prkdc and Il2rg genes altered via CRISPR (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats). It is the first of its kind for the CRO and was co-developed by the Nanjing Biomedical Research Institute of Nanjing University and Nanjing Galaxy Biopharma, before being transferred to Charles River last year.
The NCG model is able to successfully host human tissue, tumor and xenograft cells, as well as pieces of the human immune system, which will be extensively needed as immuno-oncology continues to develop as a new therapy in cancer treatment.
Dr. Iva Morse, Corporate Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer, Global Research Models and Services, commented on the NCG model, stating, “The launch of Charles River’s NCG model provides a significant opportunity to assist our clients in the development of life-saving, translational therapies,” she continued. “The availability of this model, combined with our scientific expertise, will allow us to work with clients to advance the application of humanized studies in oncology, among other therapeutic areas.”
Adam Synnott, Executive Director, Discovery Oncology echoed this to Outsourcing-pharma.com, saying, “Humanized mouse models are the future of oncology research. In cancer research, translatability is a constant concern,” he confirmed before adding, “A model that more closely mirrors human immune systems allows us to conduct groundbreaking studies more efficiently and effectively, with the ultimate goal of developing more translational therapies.”
Charles River adds the NCG model to their impressive list of services, which, since Nov. 2016, includes gene-editing capability via CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering as well as translational in vivo PDX (patient-derived xenograft) and in vitro PDX oncology drug discovery. These services are built on the company’s previous offerings in the sector, and include oncology products and services, with a focus on studies in human xenograft, syngeneic, and humanized immunotherapy research models, flow cytometry, and IVIS® imaging services.