Human Immunogenicity/ Immunofunction

Our HuALN technology enables predictive in vitro testing of immune responses triggered by drug candidates. This 3D matrix-based technology using primary cells emulates in vivo conditions and allows the analyses of immunogenicity, immunofunction and immunotoxicity. It therefore provides a tool to bridge the existing gap between animal-based pre-clinical testing and first-in-man application.

• Biopharmaceutical drugs bear the risk of unexpected immunogenicity in the patient (e. g. neutralizing antibody formation, sensitization, allergy, or anaphylactic shock)
• Deficient predictability of animal models for immunofunction and immunotoxicity testing of biological therapeutics in humans
• 26th Animal Protection Award by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection in December 2007 for our pioneering HuALN technology
• Collaboration agreements on proprietary ALN model and related assays with pharma, biochemical, and cosmetic companies

Key advantages of our Human Artificial Lymph Node:

• Long-term 3D matrix culture
• Mimics in vivo conditions of the human lymph node 
• Enables the analyses of immunogenicity, immunofunction and immunotoxicity with high reliability 
• Risks and efficacies of drug candidates can be determined simultaneously as early as possible in the development
• Bridges the existing gap between animal-based pre-clinical testing and first-in-man application
• Is an alternative to animal testing which is especially important for cosmetic substances due to the EU ban on animal testing for investigations on systemic toxicity, effective at the end of 2013