MD Biosciences performs efficacy studies for proof-of-concept as well as assays for early screening and profiling of drug candidates for use in airway inflammation therapies. If there is a model or assay that you don't see listed, please contact a representative to discuss a custom assay design.
OVA Induced Allergic Asthma
Ovalbumin-induced allergic asthma is a widely used model to reproduce the airway eosinophilia, pulmonary inflammation and elevated IgE levels found during asthma. Studies can be run with or without airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) measurements.
Lung Fibrosis Model
An experimental model that reproduces key aspects of pulmonary fibrosis and utilizes intratracheal instillation of bleomycin.
LPS Lung Inflammation Model
An acute model of pulmonary inflammation induced by the intranasal administration of LPS. This is a rapid model where leukocytes (mainly neutrophils) are recruited to the lung within 4 hours of LPS treatment. It is possible to measure and characterize the cellular profile of recruited leukocytes to the lung airways as well as the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis (PCA)
The rapid passive cutaneous anaphylaxis model is a useful initial model for test items believed to work upon mast cells. In 24 hours, it can reveal whether the therapy is able to prevent the degranulation of mast cells - a major factor in the induction of an asthmatic response.
Lung Epithelial Cell Culture Assay
Utilizes the human lung epithelial cell line A549 to evaluate inflammatory mediators in a type II pulmonary culture model.
Bronchial Smooth Muscle Cell Culture Assay
Asthma research indicates that bronchial smooth muscle is infiltrated by inflammatory cells, which may contribute to airway remodelling. This assay uses cytokine-stimulated bronchial smooth muscle cells to evaluate a test compounds effect on inflammatory mediators.
Allergic Asthma Background:
Allergic asthma is typically triggered by allergens in the air and can be characterized by reversible airway obstruction, elevated levels of IgE causing mast cell activation, chronic airway inflammation and airway hyper-responsiveness. The immunological processes involved are characterized by proliferation and activation of Th2 lymphocytes.
The ovalbumin induced allergic asthma model is a widely used model to reproduce the airway eosinophilia, pulmonary inflammation and elevated IgE levels found during asthma. While we know that Th2 lymphocytes play an important role in the initiation, progression and persistance of allergic asthma, there is a lot to be understood about the immunoregulatory mechanisms. Combining the traditional OVA-induced allergic asthma model with an adoptive transfer of antigen specific transgenic (Tg) T cells, it is possible to dissect the role of antigen specific immune responses that contribute to pathology.