Preclinical CRO services to support immunotherapy development programs
Immunotherapy, the art of boosting natural defenses to eradicate cancer, has been a major breakthrough revolutionizing the field of tumor immunology in recent years.
Oncodesign Services gives you access to many different preclinical models compatible with the optimization of novel immunotherapies.
Unlocking cancer treatment with a better understanding of immunotherapy
Since the last 15 years, immunotherapy has experienced phenomenal growth in the field of cancer. Instead of directly attacking tumor cells as chemotherapy or radiotherapy do, this therapeutic approach consists of activating the patient’s immune system to help it recognize cancer cells and lead to their destruction.
It is now known that by manipulating this complex system, tumor cells manage to proliferate uncontrollably. With a deeper understanding of these mechanisms, researchers are now able to propose new immunotherapies solutions.
In vitro labs supporting in vivo studies for Immunotherapy development
Preclinical models are an essential step in the development of safe, effective, and innovative immunotherapies for cancer treatment.
At Oncodesign Services, our experimented team offer a full suite of in vitro, in vivo and bioanalytical capabilities to serve the integrated needs of immunotherapy drug development. We will help develop your novel immunotherapy candidate – should it be a new cancer vaccine, immune checkpoint inhibitor, adoptive cell transfer approach, oncolytic virus therapy or another approach.
Typical Readouts for Immunotherapy
Tumor size
Flow cytometry
Functional assays
Imaging
Cytokine profiling
IHC
With 30 years of experience in Oncology and Immuno-Oncology, our integrated solution can include :
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In vitro testing
- Flow cytometry-based cell assay
- Ex vivo cytotoxic assay using 51Cr release assay
- Bioluminescence-imaging based cell assay
- ELISA or cytokine assay for cytokine release analysis
- Long-term survival, proliferation assay
- Immunophenotyping
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In vivo models
- Syngeneic models
- Xenogenic models
- Humanized mouse models
Case studies of immunotherapy experiments performed at Oncodesign services :
Case study 1 : In vitro evaluation of immunotherapy candidate penetrations in cancer spheroids
In this case study, the cancer spheroid penetration by test drugs was evaluated. Drug A penetrated the spheroid core, while Drugs B and C aggregated at the spheroid periphery. Cellular nuclei were stained with Hoechst (cyan), test drugs were labeled with Cy5 (magenta) and the spheroids were visualized in brightfield (grey).
Case study 2 : In vitro mechanistics of novel immunotherapy candidates: Antibody-driven cellular phagocytosis (ADCP)
In this example, the induction of ADCP by an immunotherapy drug candidate was evidenced in vitro, with macrophages phagocytosing significantly more cancerous cells than in isotype-treated conditions, in a dose-dependent manner (with an EC50 in the nM range).
Case study 3 : In vivo mechanistics of novel immunotherapy candidates: Macrophage-driven tumor clearance
Here, macrophage depletion (B) abrogated the impact of a promising drug candidate on tumor growth (seen in A). This suggests the involvement of macrophages in the tested drug antitumoral activity in tumor-bearing NOD-SCID mice.
