Embryonated Egg CAM Model for Rapid Immunotherapy Screening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current immunotherapy models for cancer, such as humanized mouse models, are time-consuming, costly, and lack the chronic inflammation present in human tumors, making it difficult to accurately evaluate the effectiveness and toxicity of immunotherapeutic molecules.
Innovation Solution
The use of an embryonated bird egg model, specifically the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM), where tumour cells are grafted in the absence of immune effector cells other than those of the grafted egg, allows for the evaluation of immunotherapeutic molecules like CAR-T, bi-specific antibodies, and immune checkpoint inhibitors, providing a faster and more cost-effective method to determine anti-cancer activity and toxicity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If humanized mouse models are used to evaluate immunotherapeutic molecules, then the model can assess immune system interaction with tumors, but the development time is several months and costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an embryonated bird egg model as a simplified copy of the human tumor microenvironment. The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) is grafted with human tumor cells to create a model that replicates key features of human cancer without requiring complex humanized mouse genetics. This copying approach maintains immunotherapy evaluation capability while reducing development time from months to days.
Solution Approach 2:
The embryonated bird egg serves as a disposable, low-cost alternative to expensive, long-term humanized mouse models. Each egg can be used for a single experiment and then discarded, eliminating the need for maintaining complex transgenic animal colonies. This reduces both financial cost and time investment while preserving the ability to evaluate immunotherapeutic molecules.
2Reliability
If humanized mouse models are used, then immune system interaction can be studied, but the tumor development speed is faster than in humans and lacks chronic inflammation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the developmental parameters of the model system by using an embryonated bird egg instead of a mature humanized mouse. The CAM provides a vascularized, inflamed tissue environment that better mimics human tumor chronic inflammation. The tumor development timeline is accelerated to match human clinical progression rather than mouse biology, achieving realistic tumor-immune interactions in a compressed timeframe.
3Productivity
If immunodeficient mice are used for xenografts, then tumor development is facilitated without immune attack, but the model lacks the genetic complexity of patient tumors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the CAM as an intermediary tissue that provides immune-competent inflammation without requiring systemic immunodeficiency. Human tumor cells are grafted onto the CAM, which supplies local inflammatory signals and immune cell recruitment. This intermediary approach maintains tumor development speed while preserving genetic complexity and immune system interaction, avoiding the need for immunodeficient mice.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to the use of an embryonated egg model grafted with tumour cells to investigate anti-cancer effectiveness or to screen immunotherapeutic molecules, in the absence of immune effector cells other than those in the grafted egg.