Intermediate models for lung function and disease

Description of the technology
Dr David Collie’s group at the Roslin Institute has extensive expertise in design and implementation of preclinical trials involving the sheep lung and using the sheep as a model system for respiratory disease.

What the technology does
The expertise and set up available allows the use of sheep as a model for lung disease and therapy.

The key benefits

• similar imaging, interventional and assessment strategies can be used as are applied to man
• ability to use aerosol treatments
• opportunity to study responses at the sub-organ level, thus reducing between-animal variation and reducing the numbers of animals needed

Possible application areas

• Testing respiratory therapies, including gene therapy and medical devices to be used in the lung
• Improving the understanding of disease in man eg asthma, asbestosis, emphysema and ARDS

The science behind this technology

Our group has extensive experience in relation to the design and implementation of preclinical trials involving the sheep lung and using the sheep as a model system. Indeed, in providing a core facility role for the UKCFGT consortium we provide unique expertise focussed on the lung-directed delivery of gene transfer agents and vectors (viral and non-viral) and the assessment of associated efficacy and toxicity. The methodology underlying such capabilities include whole lung and segmental aerosol delivery, anaesthesia, lung function testing, negative pressure ventilation, bronchoscopy (including bronchial brush biopsy, bronchial biopsy and bronchoalveolar lavage) and a range of supporting laboratory, pathology and ancillary techniques, including lung slice and air liquid interface technologies as well as routine and specialised necropsy protocols. Our group has published widely in this regard and directly links in to the bedrock of fundamental and applied biological expertise that exists within the Roslin Institute.

Approximate size of the market
Respiratory disease places a huge burden on the UK health industry. It now kills more people than coronary heart disease and is the most common long term illness among children, the most common illness responsible for an emergency admission to hospital, and costs the NHS more than any other disease area. Establishing new and improved animal models for the testing of new therapies is therefore of real significance.

Collaboration
We are looking for industrial partners who would be interested in collaborating on our sheep model set up for testing their therapies or investigating disease

Current status of this opportunity
We have established the sheep lung model and have worked on evaluating treatment for cystic fibrosis. We are now looking for new collaborators to apply the model system and our know-how to specific disease situations or use in conjunction with other technologies.

Keywords
Disease model, respiratory, sheep, gene therapy, asthma, cystic fibrosis

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