HLA-engineered Cells
Combining class I and class II engineering to create Universal Donor Cells (UDCs) that are appropriate for developing numerous differentiated cell products.
Significant evidence supports the concept that HLA-engineered cells will function normally and avoid rejection after transplantation. Rare human individuals who are HLA class I-negative or class II-negative are relatively normal except for their expected immune system consequences, as are mice with MHC class I and class II deficiencies, demonstrating that HLA-negative cells can form all essential organs. Importantly, mouse transplantation experiments have shown that organs or cells from MHC-negative donors survive longer in allogeneic recipients (sometimes persisting indefinitely), including liver cells, kidneys, hearts and pancreatic islets. These mouse experiments suggest that HLA-engineered human cells will also survive longer than allogeneic cells in many clinical settings. HLA-engineered human cells have also been shown to avoid allogeneic responses in vitro and in animal models.
