Immuno-Stimulation Package for immuno-stimulators, vaccines and oncology drugs

There is a medical need for immunostimulatory compounds. In particular novel cancer therapies aim at boosting the immune system to attack and destroy tumors in afflicted patients. CpG-oligos are one result of these research and development efforts.

FOCUS Immunology has established in vivo as well as ex vivo assays to assess the immunostimulatory capacity of compounds.

The ex vivo models provided by FOCUS Immunology allow to explore stimulatory activities at the level of proliferation, cytokine secretion and expression of activation markers in isolated lymphoid or myeloid cells. Defined cell populations may be purified from peripheral blood and used in the respective assay systems. The read-out systems may be at bulk culture level or single cell level.

FOCUS Imunology’s in vivo model for immunostimulation testing uses a suboptimal immunization schedule in mice. Animals are immunized with selected peptides in the presence or absence of the test-compound and at specified points in time the extent of the ensuing immune response is analyzed by measuring the frequency of antigen-specific responding cells upon in vitro restimulation with peptide in the EliSpot assay and by quantifying IFN-gamma from the serum of animals.