Histological assessment of the sclerotic graft-versus-host response in the humanized RAG2-/-γc-/- mouse model

Preclinical platform for long-term evaluation of immuno-oncology drugs using hCD34+ humanized mouse model

BACKGROUND

Well-characterized preclinical models are essential for immune-oncology research. We investigated the feasibility of our humanized mouse model for evaluating the long-term efficacy of immunotherapy and biomarkers.

METHODS

Humanized mice were generated by injecting human fetal cord blood-derived CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells to NOD-scid IL2rγnull (NSG) mice myeloablated with irradiation or busulfan. The humanization success was defined as a 25% or higher ratio of human CD45+ cells to mice peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

RESULTS

Busulfan was ultimately selected as the appropriate myeloablative method because it provided a higher success rate of humanization (approximately 80%) and longer survival time (45 weeks). We proved the development of functional T cells by demonstrating the anticancer effect of the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor in our humanized mice but not in non-humanized NSG mice. After confirming the long-lasting humanization state (45 weeks), we further investigated the response durability of the PD-1 inhibitor and biomarkers in our humanized mice. Early increase in serum tumor necrosis factor α levels, late increase in serum interleukin 6 levels and increase in tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T lymphocytes correlated more with a durable response over 60 days than with a non-durable response.

CONCLUSIONS

Our CD34+ humanized mouse model is the first in vivo platform for testing the long-term efficacy of anticancer immunotherapies and biomarkers, given that none of the preclinical models has ever been evaluated for such a long duration.

Modifying Graft-versus-Host Disease in a Humanized Mouse Model by Targeting Macrophages or B-Cells

Humanized mouse models can well be modified to study specific aspects of Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD). This paper shows the results of both macrophage depletion and (early) B-cell depletion in a humanized mouse model using RAG2^-/- γc^-/- mice injected with HuPBMCs. Macrophage depletion showed a significant decrease in survival and also lead to a change in the histomorphology of the xenogeneic reaction. Higher levels of infiltrating B-cells were observed in various organs of mice depleted for macrophages. With (early) B-cell depletion using Rituximab, a clear improvement on clinical symptoms was observed, even when probably only inactivated B-cells were deleted. However, the histological examinations only showed a significant morphological effect on liver fibrosis. This may be related to a difference in the mRNA levels of TGF-β. Also, lower mRNA levels of Tregs in some organs were observed after Rituximab treatment, which contradicts that a higher number of Tregs would always be related to less severe GvHD. Our data show that both macrophage depletion and (early) B-cell depletion in a xenogeneic mouse model can influence the clinical, histological, and cytokine production of a GvHD response.

CD28 Blockade Ex Vivo Induces Alloantigen-Specific Immune Tolerance but Preserves T-Cell Pathogen Reactivity

Donor T-cells contribute to reconstitution of protective immunity after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) but must acquire specific tolerance against recipient alloantigens to avoid life-threatening graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). Systemic immunosuppressive drugs may abrogate severe GvHD, but this also impedes memory responses to invading pathogens. Here, we tested whether ex vivo blockade of CD28 co-stimulation can enable selective T-cell tolerization to alloantigens by facilitating CD80/86-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) signaling. Treatment of human allogeneic dendritic cell/T-cell co-cultures with a human CD28 blocking antibody fragment (α-huCD28) significantly abrogated subsequent allospecific immune responses, seen by decreased T-cell proliferation and of type 1 cytokine (IFN-γ and IL-2) expression. Allo-tolerization persisted after discontinuation of CD28 blockade and secondary alloantigen stimulation, as confirmed by enhanced CTLA-4 and PD-1 immune checkpoint signaling. However, T-cells retained reactivity to pathogens, supported by clonotyping of neo-primed and cross-reactive T-cells specific for Candida albicans or third-party antigens using deep sequencing analysis. In an MHC-mismatched murine model, we tolerized C57BL/6 T-cells by ex vivo exposure to a murine single chain Fv specific for CD28 (α-muCD28). Infusion of these cells, after α-muCD28 washout, into bone marrow-transplanted BALB/c mice caused allo-tolerance and did not induce GvHD-associated hepatic pathology. We conclude that selective CD28 blockade ex vivo can allow the generation of stably allo-tolerized T-cells that in turn do not induce graft-versus-host reactions while maintaining pathogen reactivity. Hence, CD28 co-stimulation blockade of donor T-cells may be a useful therapeutic approach to support the immune system after HSCT.

Use of Humanized Mice to Study the Pathogenesis of Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases

Animal models of disease have been used extensively by the research community for the past several decades to better understand the pathogenesis of different diseases and assess the efficacy and toxicity of different therapeutic agents. Retrospective analyses of numerous preclinical intervention studies using mouse models of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases reveal a generalized failure to translate promising interventions or therapeutics into clinically effective treatments in patients. Although several possible reasons have been suggested to account for this generalized failure to translate therapeutic efficacy from the laboratory bench to the patient's bedside, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the mouse immune system is substantially different from the human. Indeed, it is well known that >80 major differences exist between mouse and human immunology; all of which contribute to significant differences in immune system development, activation, and responses to challenges in innate and adaptive immunity. This inconvenient reality has prompted investigators to attempt to humanize the mouse immune system to address important human-specific questions that are impossible to study in patients. The successful long-term engraftment of human hematolymphoid cells in mice would provide investigators with a relatively inexpensive small animal model to study clinically relevant mechanisms and facilitate the evaluation of human-specific therapies in vivo. The discovery that targeted mutation of the IL-2 receptor common gamma chain in lymphopenic mice allows for the long-term engraftment of functional human immune cells has advanced greatly our ability to humanize the mouse immune system. The objective of this review is to present a brief overview of the recent advances that have been made in the development and use of humanized mice with special emphasis on autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases. In addition, we discuss the use of these unique mouse models to define the human-specific immunopathological mechanisms responsible for the induction and perpetuation of chronic gut inflammation.

Humanized mouse models in transplantation research

The interest in the use of humanized mouse models for research topics like Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD), allograft studies and other studies to the human immune system is growing. The design of these models is still improving and enables even more complicated studies to these topics. For researchers it can be difficult to choose the best option from the current pool of available models. The decision will depend on which hypothesis needs to be tested, in which field of interest, and therefore 'the best model' will differ from one to another. In this review, we provide a guide to the most common available humanized mouse models, with regards to different mouse strains, transplantation material, transplantation techniques, pre- and post-conditioning and references to advantages and disadvantages. Also, an evaluation of experiences with humanized mouse models in studies on GvHD and allograft rejection is provided.