Human Immune System Models for Vaccine Assessment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for developing vaccines and drugs are hindered by high costs, low efficiency, and limited ability to predict human immune responses, due to reliance on animal models and empirical approaches, which are costly, ethically challenging, and inefficient in translating results to human immunology.

Innovation Solution

The development of in vitro models of human immunity that utilize human cells transplanted into mice to rapidly assess vaccine and drug interactions, enabling the generation of human monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies and simulating key immune responses, thereby accelerating and improving the accuracy of vaccine, drug, and biologic development.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional animal models (mouse and rabbit) are used for vaccine development, then the testing process can proceed, but the costs increase and the predictive value for human responses decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepredictive value for human immune responseVSAvoiddevelopment cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates in vitro models that copy human immune system components (human B cells, T cells, dendritic cells, and follicular dendritic cells) in a controlled laboratory setting. This allows researchers to study human immune responses to vaccines without using animal models, thereby improving predictive value while reducing costs and ethical concerns associated with animal testing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses humanized mouse models as an intermediary system, where human immune cells are transplanted into immunodeficient mice. This intermediary approach allows the study of human immune responses in a living system while avoiding the limitations and high costs of both traditional animal models and direct human clinical trials.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If non-human primate models are used for vaccine testing, then more accurate human response prediction is achieved, but the costs increase significantly and ethical challenges arise

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprediction accuracy of human immune responseVSAvoidtesting system complexity and cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates simplified in vitro models that copy the essential components of human immune responses using human cell lines and cultures. This approach achieves adequate predictive accuracy without the extreme complexity and cost of non-human primate models, making the testing system more accessible and ethically acceptable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Productivity

If empirical approaches with pathogen variants are used, then vaccine development can proceed, but the time required increases and the efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevaccine development efficiencyVSAvoiddevelopment time
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs high-throughput screening methods that perform preliminary testing of multiple vaccine candidates simultaneously in in vitro models. This preliminary action identifies promising candidates early in the development process, reducing the time and resources needed for subsequent testing and accelerating overall vaccine development efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Productivity

If human cells are transplanted into mice for testing, then rapid assessment of vaccine interactions is enabled, but the model complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetesting speedVSAvoidmodel system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the essential human immune components (B cells, T cells, dendritic cells) from the complex human body and transplants them into a simplified mouse model. This extraction approach maintains the key functional elements needed for vaccine testing while removing the complexity of the full human immune system, enabling rapid assessment with controlled model complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP2043695B8Models for vaccine assessment
Publication Date: 2012.02.29 SANOFI PASTEUR VAXDESIGN CORP

AI summary

The present invention is directed to methods for constructing and using in vivo and in vitro models of aspects of human immunity and, in particular, construction of a human immune system model for the testing of, for example, vaccines, adjuvants, immunotherapy candidates, cosmetics, drugs, biologies and other chemicals. The present invention comprises both in vivo and in vitro models of aspects of human immunity that are useful for assessing the interaction of substances with the immune system, and thus can be used to accelerate and improve the accuracy and predictability of, for example, vaccine, drug, biologic, immunotherapy, cosmetic and chemical development. The invention is also useful for the generation of human monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies.