Asthma Model for Preclinical Research
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airway characterized by variable airflow obstruction, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and airway inflammation. The main clinical symptoms of asthma are shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and increased mucus secretions upon exposure to allergens. The pathogenesis of asthma is caused by complex interactions between genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Pathologic changes are mediated by several types of airway cells and immune cells, including airway epithelial cells, eosinophils, and T cell subsets. In particular, Th2 cells have been thought to predominate in high eosinophilic asthma, which is characterized by increased levels of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13.
Biocytogen provides a robust and validated ovalbumin-induced asthma model. Mice are sensitized by multiple intraperitoneal injections of ovalbumin and then challenged by inhalation of aerosolized ovalbumin. In the ovalbumin-induced asthma model, IgE and eosinophil levels are higher, while histologic staining shows increased airway mucus and inflammatory leukocyte infiltration.
For testing novel therapies targeting anti-human Th2 cytokines implicated in asthma, Biocytogen’s humanized cytokine models can be treated with ovalbumin to induce asthma. In particular, we validated the ovalbumin-induced asthma model in B-hIL4/IL4RA mice. In this model, human IL-4 and IL-4 receptor (IL-4RA) replaces their mouse counterpart via genomic knock-in. B-hIL4/IL4RA mice thus allow direct testing of asthma therapeutics targeting human IL-4 pathway in mice.
Watch the webinar: Investigating Inflammatory Disease using Humanized Cytokine Mice
