ANTIBODY REAGENTS FOR IMMUNOLOGIC ANALYSIS OF UNDER-REPRESENTED MAMMALIAN MODELS

Animal models that recapitulate features of human immunity are necessary to understand disease progression and pathogenesis and are also used to evaluate new vaccines and therapeutics. While mice and non-human primates (NHPs) are the most commonly used, mice are not ideal models for many human diseases and research using NHPs is better limited to pivotal toxicology studies. Other mammalian models have been identified that closely mimic infection course, disease progression, and the pathology of human pathogens, but they are currently underutilized due to the limited availability of immunologic reagents. These include bat, hamster, ferret, guinea pig, white-footed mouse, cat, cotton rat, dog, marmoset, mink, pig, rabbit and sheep, which have been identified by NIAID as some of the best but under-resourced models for the study of human immunity and pathogens. The NIH has called for the development of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to be used in investigations of the immune responses in these selected under-represented species.