The Need

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) accounts for one quarter of new cases of leukemia. CLL is the most prevalent adult leukemia in Western countries and is characterized by a mature B-cell phenotype. Given the burden of this disease, a large pipeline of drugs for treatment are in progress. Thus, research tools that address the specific biological characteristics of CLL are of high value. Currently there are several CLL mouse models, but none that address the over expression of the human MTCP1 gene only in B-lymphocytes. Furthermore, more aggressive models are needed to address the needs of patients that have tried both BTK and BCL2 inhibitors.

The Technology

Dr. Lapalombella and colleagues have developed a transgenic immunocompetent mouse model that overexpress the human MTCP1 gene only in B-lymphocytes. Mice positive for the trans gene develop with age (starting at 4-6 months) a leukemia that has similar features of the human CLL. This mouse allows researchers to conduct longitudinal studies of in vivo tumor development, immune modulation and microenvironment, as well as response to novel therapies. Mouse models of leukemia are well known to be a widely accepted and used tool for PK, PD, and therapeutic studies. Many novel drugs that have reached clinical trials have shown response in murine tumor models so we believe this will be a great tool to be used by investigators at research institutions and pharmaceutical companies to test new drugs for the treatment of CLL.

Commercial Applications

• Novel Drug Studies
• Clinical Trial Safety Evaluations
• Longitudinal Studies of Tumor Development
• Alternative to TCL1-based model

Benefits/Advantages

• Novel mouse model for CLL
• Can be used for various in vivo studies across the drug development pipeline
• Rapid disease development

Publications

• https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26400-x Nature Communications (2021)