Historical Background Data In Juvenile Cynomolgus Monkeys

By Narine Lalayeva, Norbert Makori, and Wendell Davis

As the range of therapies for rare diseases rapidly expands, advanced therapeutic products like gene, cell, and oligonucleotide-based therapies are showing great promise, especially for treating inherited conditions. Pediatric patients stand to benefit significantly from these novel therapies. Given the genetic similarities between nonhuman primates (NHPs) and humans, as well as their accessibility to anatomical sites for administration, biodistribution, or analysis, studies for these therapies are often conducted in young NHPs (9-to-14 months old) to better predict safety and efficacy for human pediatric populations. However, the availability of these young animals is limited, exacerbated by the overall scarcity of NHPs. Therefore, exploring alternatives, such as underutilized NHPs from Indonesian origins, is crucial.

To address the lack of historical data on juvenile animals from Mainland Asia (Cambodian and Chinese) and Indonesian origins, a retrospective evaluation of immunology and pathology data was conducted. This included the T-cell-Dependent Antibody Response (TDAR) assay, which assessed the immune response to Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH) and analyzed IgG and IgM levels. After primary KLH immunization, a strong immune response was observed, evidenced by antibody production in both Mainland Asian and Indonesian NHPs.