Verification of agents

Verification As the causes for immune mediated diseases have not yet been sufficiently clarified often only symptoms are treated. Moreover, patients frequently do not respond to these immunmodulatory drugs at all.

Therefore, it is highly significant to promote agent research for the treatment of immune mediated diseases or to develop individual therapies due to the genetic information of a patient.

Animal models (such as: CIA for rheumatoid arthritis, EAE for Multiple Sclerosis) by means of which immune mediated diseases can be observed in order to analyse the course of the disease, are helpful to understand the course of these complex immunologic processes and to examine the influence of agents or implemented genes (somatic gene therapy). Due to the long-term research activities of Prof. Ibrahim different animal models have been established and can be used for the verification of agents.

Immungenetics can provide the following Animal Models:

Name	Animal model	Analysis
Collagen induced arthritis (CIA), Rheumatoid Arthritis	DBA mice immunized with type II collagen in CFA (Freund’s incomplete adjuvant with Mycobacterium tuberculi)	Collagen specific IgG1 or IgG2a antibody response, T-cell proliferation, CD4/CD8 ratio, cytokine measurements (ELISA), histopathological analysis
Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE), Multiple Sclerosis	C57BL/6J mice immunized with MOG35-55 in CFA (Freund’s incomplete adjuvant with Mycobacterium tuberculi)	MOG specific antibody response, T-cell proliferation, CD4/CD8 ratio of T cells, cytokine measurements (ELISA), histopathological analysis
Systemic Lupus erythemadodes (SLE)	Spontaneous diseases in NZM mice	Analysis of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) Analysis of the kidneys (Nephritis) cytokine measurements
Blistering skin diseases (Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita, EBA)	Immunization of SJL/J or C57BL/6J mice Active disease: Immunization with recombinant autologous type VII collagen in adjuvants like TiterMax Passive disease: transfer of purified IgG from immunized rabbits against collagen type VII or from EBA patients	Histopathological analysis, Immunofluorescence microscopy, staining of skin biopsies, detection of IgG antibodies or C3 complement deposits, cytokine measurements (ELISA)
Psoriasis	Spontaneous disease	Analysis of antibodies, cytokine measurements, histopathology