Advantages
- Non-genetic Disease Replication: Enables specific cell control without gene editing, ideal for generating models of idiopathic diseases with unknown causes.
- High Human Clinical Extrapolability: Induces clinical phenotypes closely mimicking human pathology safely and reproducibly, unlike conventional bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis models.
- Flexible Spatial and Temporal Control: Organ-specific disease onset can be triggered at any desired point in time via localized light irradiation.
- Broad Applicability Across Diseases: Adaptable to diverse condition models (respiratory, autoimmune, dermatology, etc.) by selecting appropriate target molecules.
Current Stage and Key Data
Established in vivo mouse models for disease phenotype replication and drug efficacy evaluation.
- Phenotypic Validation Data: Micro-CT and histological analyses confirmed clinical human-like phenotypes distinct from conventional models.
- Utility in Drug Efficacy Testing: Validated sensitivity to existing therapeutics (e.g., Nintedanib, Pirfenidone), demonstrating suitability for screening novel drug candidates.
- High Reproducibility & Survival Rate: Secures a stable evaluation window compared to high-mortality conventional models.
Partnaring Model
Out-licensing, joint research for custom model development, and collaborative drug discovery.
- Potential partners: Pharmaceutical companies seeking novel disease models, animal model developers, and CROs.
Background and Technology
In drug discovery, conventional animal models created via genetic modification or chemical induction often fail to accurately replicate human clinical pathology, leading to attrition in clinical trials. Furthermore, idiopathic diseases—increasing rapidly with aging populations—lack suitable animal models due to unknown underlying causes. This technology non-invasively eliminates specific target cell populations, delivering disease models with superior clinical extrapolability for mechanistic studies and efficacy screening.
Principal Investigator
Kazuhide Sato (Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, THERS)
Patents and Publications
- Patent pending