1) How has the demand for humanised models evolved in Europe over the past decade?
Over the past ten years, we have seen a significant increase in demand throughout Europe. This has been driven by growth in immuno-oncology, advanced biologics, cell therapy, and vaccine research. European research teams are now focused on highly translational questions, and that requires models that accurately reflect human immune function. Earlier on, most humanised work was concentrated in North America. Today, Europe has a very active discovery and development environment, and the rising demand clearly reflects that shift.
2) What challenges have European Researchers faced with relying on imported HIS models?
The primary challenges have been travel time and stability of engraftment. When models are produced overseas, transit times can vary due to customs, weather, and logistics. During long transport periods, animals experience stress, which can temporarily disrupt immune function, cause behavioural changes, and even dysbiosis. As a result, research teams often require longer acclimatisation periods, and there may be greater variability at study start. Scientific research in Europe has advanced rapidly, but access to consistently high-quality, ready-to-use HIS models has not always kept pace.
3) Why is it important for Taconic to bring Humanisation capabilities to Europe now?
The scientific need was clear, and it also carried the added benefit of increased sustainability. Researchers in Europe require models that arrive in optimal immune condition and are ready for immediate study. By building full humanisation capability within Europe, we shorten lead times, reduce logistical barriers, significantly decrease our carbon footprint, and maintain the integrity of the immune system from the point of release through to animal arrival. This allows European laboratories to work with the level of precision and reliability that modern research demands, while at the same time reducing environmental impact.
4) How do you see localised humanisation influencing the future of translational research?
Local humanisation accelerates research timelines. Teams can move from concept to in vivo testing more rapidly and repeat experiments with greater consistency. It also allows researchers to take on more complex immunological questions, particularly those involving T-cell or myeloid biology, which are highly sensitive to stress and timing.
5) How does Taconic ensure consistency between global and local facilities?
We use unified standard operating procedures, shared quality control criteria, and coordinated scientific oversight across all sites. Everything from donor selection and HLA typing to engraftment thresholds and flow cytometry gating strategies follows the same framework. This ensures that animals produced in Europe meet the same standards as those produced in the United States. We also have on-site flow cytometry in Leverkusen. Flow cytometry is the key quality-assurance step that verifies both the presence of human cells and the composition of the discrete cell types that make up the reconstituted human immune system. Conducting flow on-site, at the same location where humanisation occurs, allows us to assess immune status before any transport can influence it and enables the timely generation of our flow certificates of analysis.
