SITC 2025
GemPharmatech was excited to attend the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer's SITC 2025, which took place Nov. 5-9, in National Harbor, MD. We enjoyed meeting so many of you at our Booth 738!
At GemPharmatech, we offer a comprehensive suite of solutions backed by a broad portfolio of genetically engineered mouse models designed to accelerate your immuno-oncology pipeline research.
Here was an overview of what we can provide:
Genetically Engineered Mouse Models (GEMMs): More than 25,000 strains, including knockout, humanized, and immunodeficient models.
Custom Model Generation: More than 6,000 custom models developed annually using cutting-edge gene-editing technologies.
Preclinical Pharmacology Services: In vivo/in vitro platforms for oncology and immunotherapy studies.
Offsite Breeding & Housing: Flexible programs featuring highly controlled Specific Pathogen-Free (SPF) facilities with a capacity exceeding more than 230,000 cages.
Disease-Specific Models: High-relevance models of cancer and inflammatory diseases.
Collaborative Research Support: Customization, colony management, and technical consultation.
We presented six new scientific posters at SITC, showcasing recent advancements across our preclinical research platforms. The posters featured our latest advancements in humanized mouse models and preclinical immuno-oncology research:
"A Novel Humanized Mouse Model for Preclinical Efficacy Evaluation of Anti-CD47/Anti-SIRPα Therapeutics”
CD47 enables tumor cells to evade phagocytic clearance by interacting with Signal Regulatory Protein α (SIRPα) expressed on macrophages and dendritic cells. Therapeutics targeting the CD47-SIRPα pathway promote tumor elimination via two primary mechanisms: 1) blockade of the CD47-SIRPα interaction to facilitate macrophage-mediated phagocytosis, and 2) Fc-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC). These mechanisms collectively enhance antigen presentation and stimulate adaptive anti-tumor immunity, establishing the CD47-SIRPα axis as a high-priority target in immuno-oncology. To support the translational evaluation of CD47-targeted therapies, GemPharmatech generated a double knock-in mouse strain, BALB/c-hCD47/hSIRPα. This mouse provides a clinically relevant, immunocompetent model for evaluating therapies targeting the CD47-SIRPα axis. It enables comprehensive assessment of efficacy, immune modulation, and safety, thereby addressing key translational challenges in the development of next-generation macrophage checkpoint inhibitors.
“Enhanced Human Immune System Engraftment in a Novel Triple-Engineered NCG-mTSLP-hIL6-mFlt3 KO Mouse Model”
Robust humanized mouse models are critical for evaluating human hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) biology, immune system development, and therapeutic efficacy. The NCG strain provides a superior platform for human HSC engraftment due to severe immunodeficiency. To further enhance human immune system reconstitution, we engineered a next generation strain NCG-mTSLP-hIL6-mFlt3 KO. This model offers a powerful platform for human HSC engraftment and development of a functional, multi-lineage human immune system, including lymphoid (T, B), myeloid (DC subsets), and NK cells. Together with enhanced lymphoid organ development, this model is positioned to be a valuable tool for translational immunology and preclinical evaluation of immunotherapies.
“Integrated Platforms for the Preclinical Evaluation of T-Cell Engagers”
T-cell engagers (TCEs), bispecific antibodies that simultaneously target the T-cell surface marker CD3 and a tumor-associated antigen (TAA), have emerged as promising cancer therapeutics. However, their complex mechanisms of action necessitate physiologically relevant models to accurately assess efficacy and safety in the preclinical stage. GemPharmatech established a suite of medium- to high-throughput in vitro assays to screen TCE candidates based on target binding, T-cell activation, and tumor cell killing. Lead molecules were further evaluated in in vivo efficacy studies using both xenograft and syngeneic models. For xenograft studies, we employed NCG and NCG-MHC-dKO mice. The NCG-MHC-dKO model, generated by knocking out murine MHC class I and II genes in the immunodeficient NCG background, minimizes graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) following human PBMC engraftment, thus extending the study window. Our integrated in vitro screening systems and in vivo models—including NCG, NCG-MHC-dKO, and CD3-humanized mouse strains—enable rapid, scalable, and translational evaluation of T-cell engager candidates, providing a robust platform to accelerate immuno-oncology drug development.
“NCG-hIL15 and NCG-hIL2 mice - Excellent Models for Human Immune Reconstitution of NK Cells”
Natural Killer (NK) cells play a critical role in antitumor immunity through direct cytotoxic activity and secretion of immunoregulatory cytokines. They are particularly important in Antibody-Dependent Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity (ADCC), a key mechanism often leveraged by therapeutic antibodies. However, the conventional immunodeficient mouse models show limited capacity to support NK cell engraftment, restricting their translational relevance. To overcome this limitation, we developed two humanized cytokine-expressing immunodeficient NCG mouse models: NCG-hIL2 and NCG-hIL15, engineered to express human IL-2 and IL-15, respectively. NCG-hIL2 was well suited for evaluating ADCC antibodies like Trastuzumab, Margetuximab, Rituximab and Blinatumomab. Both NCG-hIL2 and NCG-hIL15 model offer powerful tools for investigating NK cell biology, cytokine-driven development, and immunotherapy evaluation.
“MHC Knock-in Mouse Models for Preclinical Evaluation of Cancer mRNA Vaccines”
mRNA cancer vaccines represent a next-generation immunotherapy platform with the potential to elicit robust, antigen specific immune responses. Upon in vivo delivery, mRNA vaccines are taken up by antigen-presenting cells (APCs), translated into the tumor associated antigen and presented via MHC molecules to activate adaptive immunity. However, standard mouse models with murine MHC molecules are not suitable for evaluating these MHC-restricted immune responses. GemPharmatech has developed a series of MHC knock-in (KI) models across multiple mouse backgrounds including immunocompetent mice B6, BALB/c, CB6F1 and immunodeficient NCG derived mice. These models express human HLA molecules, enabling the accurate evaluation of antigen presentation, immunogenicity, and therapeutic efficacy of mRNA vaccines. Our diverse portfolio of MHC knock-in mouse models provide more versatile and translationally relevant platforms for preclinical testing of mRNA-based cancer vaccines and combination immunotherapies. These models bridge the gap between murine and human immune systems, enhancing predictive power in vaccine development pipelines.
“Development of Preclinical Anti-PD-1 Resistant Models to Uncover Mechanisms of Immune Evasion”
Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis have transformed cancer treatment, yielding durable responses in some patients. However, both primary and acquired resistance remain major obstacles, limiting therapeutic benefit in many patients. Understanding the mechanisms underlying anti-PD-1 resistance and developing effective counterstrategies require robust, translational preclinical models. To this end, GemPharmatech has established three distinct models of anti-PD-1 resistance. These models provide a powerful platform to investigate mechanisms of immune escape and evaluate novel therapeutic strategies. They are thus indispensable for unraveling the molecular and cellular basis of treatment failure and for guiding the development of next-generation immunotherapies.
Want to learn more about our research? Contact us at sales@gempharmatech.com to set up a time to speak with us about these posters!