In Vivo Models for the Evaluation of Antisense Oligonucleotides in Skin

Here, we describe an in vivo model in which antisense oligonucleotides were preclinically evaluated in reconstituted patient and healthy control skin. The aim was to investigate the effect of antisense oligonucleotides upon local or systemic administration. This allows for clinically relevant evaluation of antisense oligonucleotides in an in vivo setting. In this model, primary human keratinocytes and fibroblasts were placed into silicone grafting chambers, implanted onto the back of athymic nude mice. After sufficient cells were expanded, within a few weeks, human skin grafts were generated with a high success rate. These mice bearing grafts were subsequently treated with antisense oligonucleotides targeting exon 105 of the COL7A1 gene which encodes type VII collagen. Patients completely lacking expression of type VII collagen develop severe blistering of skin and mucosa, i.e., recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. In this chapter, we describe the in vivo model used for the preclinical evaluation of antisense oligonucleotides as therapeutic approach for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.