The contract research organisations (CROs) have bred what they call the first hairless NOD.SCID model (a non-obese diabetic mouse, with a severe combined immunodeficiency mutation).
Named SHrN, the albino mouse is triple-immunodeficient and can be used for humanisation and tumour xenografts. It is deficient in natural killer (NK) cells because of its NOD background, as well as having a deficit in T and B cells.
“Preliminary phenotyping results for SHrNTM have demonstrated promising benefits in cell uptake and tumor growth,” said the CROs. “Additionally, SHrN has the advantage of a marked decrease in cell leakage compared to other SCID models.
“Genetic consistency is ensured through inbreeding which limits unwanted variability in research efforts.”
Hairless mouse models are useful to R&D scientists because they do not need to be shaved to observe tumour growth or for clearer imaging.
Harlan will produce the mouse models for customers in several facilities in the US and Europe.
Worldwide
Huntingdon acquired CRO Harlan one year ago. Adrian Hardy, COO of both organisations, said the new model will be available to global markets.
“The SHrN was developed with the intent of improving both the effectiveness and convenience of the standard NOD.SCID model,” added Joe Meyer, Senior Vice President, Harlan.
“At Huntingdon Life Sciences and Harlan Laboratories, we work closely with our customers to bring solutions to them that address gaps in the tools they use to support their research programs. As a consequence, we developed a NOD.SCID model that is hairless and slightly more immunocompromised to support the needs of scientists working in immunology, oncology, and other research areas.”