The National Applied Research Laboratories (NARL) said it has bred an immunodeficient mouse that can serve as a host for human tissue and tumor transplants without forming a rejection response, which might have personalized cancer treatment and precision medicine applications, National Laboratory Animal Center director Yu Chun Chiang (余俊強) said.
Two strains of laboratory mice — the nude mouse and the severe combined immunodeficiency mouse — are commonly used as hosts for human tissue transplants, Yu said.
However, those mice retain partially functional immune systems, making the transplanted human cells unable to be strongly expressed in the mice until a few generations have been bred, over which period transplanted cells might mutate, compromising the accuracy of experiments, he said.
Photo: CNA / National Applied Research
The NARL cross-bred two strains of immunodeficient mice to create an advanced severe immuno deficiency (ASID) mouse, which lacks almost all forms of immune cells, so the mice show little or no immune response to transplanted cells, thus enabling grafted human cells to be examined, Yu said.
The NARL has successfully grown various tumor cells — including those of lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, blood cancer, skin cancer and breast cancer — in the ASID mice, something which could not be achieved with most types of immunodeficient mice, he said.
The ASID mouse is expected to enhance the accuracy of cancer treatment by allowing researchers to inject medication into mice carrying tumors directly transplanted from cancer patient to test which drugs are more effective against the tumor, he said.
The patient-derived tumor could be preserved in the ASID mice over generations to determine the biological marker and mechanism of the cancer, and to help develop new therapies and medicines, he said.
The ASID mouse is more cost-effective than its imported counterparts from the US and Japan, as an ASID mouse costs about NT$3,000 to produce, while an imported mouse costs between NT$15,000 and NT$30,000, Yu said, adding that the NARL can supply about 100 ASID mice per month.
The NARL said it is developing a second-generation ASID mouse, which would carry the human immune system to simulate human immune responses to create a type of mouse that more accurately mimics human responses for medical and immunological research.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS