This symposium focused on the significance of choosing the right humanized mouse model to optimize experimental design, which is crucial for the success and ethical integrity of biomedical research and for conducting animal studies in a manner that follows the 3R principles.
Presentations will remain available for download through year-end 2025.
Hosted at the University of Zurich, Irchel Campus | Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
Symposium: Optimize In Vivo Research with the Right Humanized Mouse Models
This event has concluded. Scroll down to view and download the presentations, which will remain available through year-end 2025.
Key Information:
- When: 11 September 2025
- Time: 13:00-16:30 CEST
- Where: University of Zurich, Irchel Campus - Room Y23 K52 - Y23 = Gebäude Y23, K-Stockwerk | Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
Talk #1: Introduction to Humanized Immune System (HIS) Mouse Models
Speaker: Ditte Olsen, PhD 
Scientific Solutions Consultant, Taconic Biosciences
For many years, immunodeficient mice have been integral tools for preclinical research and drug development. These mice have been classically used when human cells and/or tissues are required. The applications are broad, ranging from safety assessment, infectious disease, oncology, and immuno-oncology to autoimmune disease and much more.
Several different super-immunodeficient mouse strains have been developed, such as the NOG and NSG strains. These mice lack mature T, B, and NK cells, allowing for increasingly more advanced humanization, including human immune system and engraftment with difficult human cell lines and patient-derived tumors (PDX). Humanization can be done with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), which are differentiated mature cells from adult donors, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), or more specific cell populations, such as NK cells.
In this presentation, you will learn about:
- The concept of humanized immune system mice and why we need them
- The various methods to generate humanized immune system mice
- The strengths and limitations of different methods of humanization
- The various strains used to generate HIS mice and the importance of selection of the right model
Talk #2: Humanized Mice Modeling Services
Speaker: Caroline Mignard, PhD
Senior Study Director, Oncodesign Services
Many findings from conventional animal models do not apply to humans due to the intrinsic differences between species. This fact would explain the large need for humanized mouse models that will accurately support the preclinical development of such therapeutic approaches.
“Humanized” mouse models, have been established to study the complex interaction of the human immune system during human disorders. Humanized NOG mice bearing human immune cells with or without human target tumor cells, are relevant models to test various therapeutic strategies such as antibody dependent cell cytotoxicity, Treg targeting antibodies, TLR agonists, vaccines, and adoptive T cells transfer in various pathologies including oncology, autoimmune disease, inflammation and transplantation research.
In this presentation you will learn about:
- Oncodesign's activity
- Various case studies where humanized system mice are used for evaluation of drug development with a focus on immune oncology but also beyond cancer research.
- This includes different types of molecules and different tumor models.
- Understanding of how to set up a well-planned study with humanized immune system mice, including randomization criteria
- Understanding which readouts you get from these types of studies
Talk #3: Existing Tools for Custom Model Generation Solutions - pros and cons about the different methodologies
Speaker: Ditte Olsen, PhD
Scientific Solutions Consultant
Genetically engineered animal models are important tools for both academic fundamental research and pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications. Due to steady advances in gene targeting, increasingly sophisticated and highly customized models can be generated. In this presentation, we will discuss the three major methods to generate these customized models and will focus on their specific advantages and on their limitations & drawbacks. Choosing the correct methodology is not only important for efficient and cost-effective generation of experimental models, but is also key in the reduction of surplus animals in the sense of the 3Rs.
Talk #4: Optimized Colony Management Solutions with Respect to the 3 R's
Speaker: Ditte Olsen, PhD
Scientific Solutions Consultant
A growing focus on animal welfare and the 3 R’s, combined with increasingly strict regulations for animal euthanasia, creates a need for optimized colony management solutions. Balancing the need for easily accessible study animals while limiting animal wastage can be challenging and requires meticulous planning. During this presentation, we will present the available tools for optimized colony management with respect to the 3 R’s
Meet the Speakers
Ditte Olsen, PhD
Scientific Solutions Consultant, Taconic Biosciences
Dr. Ditte Olsen received her Master of Science in Molecular Biology from Aarhus University, Denmark and earned her industrial PhD in Neuroscience from Aarhus University and Lundbeck. During her PhD, Ditte studied the dopaminergic system in various transgenic animal models.
During her postdoctoral training, her focus changed to the field of cardiovascular disorders. Following her postdoctoral training, she joined a biotech company where her focus was on preclinical research using small molecules to reduce high cholesterol levels. Ditte brings nearly 15 years of in vivo research experience to her role as a Scientific Solutions Consultant at Taconic.
Caroline Mignard, PhD
Senior Study Director, Oncodesign Services
Caroline Mignard has obtained a PhD in Biology from the University of Strasbourg in France and has more 20 years of experience in preclinical research in Oncology. She was involved in a French collaborative project (IMODI) to establish new animal models as PDX and humanized mice for cancer research. Her role now at Oncodesign Services is to manage a team of Study Directors and to provide scientific expertise to researchers for the evaluation of their candidate.