Immunotoxicity testing in non-rodent species

Helen G Haggerty1

  • 1Bristol-Myers Squibb, Syracuse, New York 13221, USA. helen.haggerty@bms.com

Evaluation of the immunotoxicity potential of some pharmaceuticals, including immunomodulatory chemicals and biologics, cannot be limited to testing in rodents. Thus, immune function tests have also been applied in studies with non-human primates and more recently dogs that assess various components of the immune system. These assays include TDAR responses with various immunogens, lymphocyte phenotyping, natural-killer cell activity, delayed-type hypersensitivity, and macrophage function assays. Approaches for incorporating immune function testing in non-rodent species, results from these tests, their interpretation and limitations with respect to drug safety assessment will be reviewed.

Related Concept Videos

Toxicity Testing in Animals01:23

Toxicity Testing in Animals

Toxicity tests in animals are grounded on two main assumptions: first, the effects observed in laboratory animals can be extrapolated to humans, especially when adjusted for body surface area; second, high-dose exposure in animals is essential to identify potential human hazards from lower doses. This is based on the quantal dose-response concept, which faces the challenge of extrapolating results from relatively few test animals to much larger human populations. For example, a 0.01% incidence...
Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity01:25

Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity

Mutagenicity and carcinogenicity refer to the ability of drugs to cause genetic defects and induce cancer, respectively. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies agents into four groups based on their carcinogenic potential. Group 1 agents are known human carcinogens; group 2A agents are probably carcinogenic to humans; group 3 agents lack data to support their role in carcinogenesis; and group 4 includes agents for which data support that they are not likely to be...
Mouse Models of Cancer Study02:43

Mouse Models of Cancer Study

Mice have long served as models for studying human biology and pathology because of their phylogenetic and physiological similarity with humans. They are also easy to maintain and breed in the laboratory, and hence, many inbred strains are now available for research. Studies on mice have contributed immeasurably to our understanding of cancer biology.
The development of transgenic, knockout, and knock-in mice has led to an exponential increase in their use as model organisms in research,...