Cell Culture Models for Germinal Centers of the Immune System
An innovative method for generating antibody germinal centers in cell culture, which can be used to test new drugs without animal experimentation – that is the focus of the GO-Immun project.
Antibodies are produced by specific cells of the immune system known as B cells. After coming into contact with an antigen, specific B cells that recognize the antigen begin to proliferate. These cells mature in germinal centers—small structures found in immune organs such as lymph nodes and the spleen. To date, germinal centers have only been known to function in intact organisms and can only be studied in intact organs.
As part of the GO-Immun project, ISAR Bioscience is working on an innovative method for generating such antibody germinal centers in cell culture. We aim to use this approach to research and test new drugs for autoimmune diseases without animal testing.
The first step will focus on Graves’ disease, a condition in which antibodies attack the thyroid gland and the eyes. Together with the leading clinical team in Germany led by Professor George Kahaly at the University Medical Center Mainz, we plan to generate germinal centers in the laboratory from iPS cells and to use them to explore novel therapeutic approaches for this serious disease.
