Artificial Immune System for Human Vaccine Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for developing and testing human drugs and vaccines rely on animal models that often fail to accurately predict human responses due to species differences, particularly in immunological responses, leading to inefficiencies and inaccuracies in vaccine and drug development.
Innovation Solution
The development of an artificial immune system (AIS) coupled with human disease models for in vitro testing, which simulates human immune responses by using three modules: innate immune response, adaptive immune response, and a functional assay to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines, adjuvants, and drugs on human tissues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If animal models are used for drug and vaccine testing, then preclinical testing can be conducted, but the accuracy of predicting human immune responses deteriorates due to species differences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates an artificial immune system that copies human immune cells (T cells, B cells, dendritic cells) and their interactions in a controlled in vitro environment. This copying approach allows accurate prediction of human immune responses without using animal models, directly resolving the contradiction between predictive accuracy and species differences
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the fundamental parameter from using living animal organisms to using cultured human immune cells in controlled conditions. By altering the testing medium from in vivo animal systems to in vitro human cell cultures, the patent achieves both high predictive accuracy for human responses and eliminates species variability
2Ease of operation
If traditional animal testing systems are used, then immune response testing can be performed, but the translation to human immunology deteriorates due to intricate understanding requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential immune response testing function from complex animal models and isolates it into a simplified in vitro system using human immune cells. This extraction removes the need for understanding complex animal disease pathogenesis while maintaining the core capability to test immune responses, directly improving ease of translation to human immunology
Solution Approach 2:
The artificial immune system acts as an intermediary between drug/vaccine candidates and human biology. By using human immune cells as the testing medium, the system provides a direct bridge to human immunology without requiring translation through animal models, simplifying the operational process
3Productivity
If animal models are used in early stages, then vaccine and drug development can proceed, but the accuracy of predicting human clinical outcomes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The artificial immune system uses human immune cells to test human vaccines and drugs, allowing the system to self-evaluate candidates with high relevance to human clinical outcomes. This self-service approach maintains rapid development throughput while significantly improving measurement precision for predicting clinical success
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to methods of constructing an integrated artificial immune system that comprises appropriate in vitro cellular and tissue constructs or their equivalents to mimic the tissues of the immune system in mammals. The artificial immune system can be used to test the efficacy of vaccine candidates and other materials in vitro and thus, is useful to accelerate vaccine development and testing drug and chemical interactions with the immune system, coupled with disease models to provide a more complete representation of an immune response.