While rapid screening of test agents can be facilitated by using models in the subcutaneous setting, it is becoming increasingly more important to evaluate the sensitivity of test agents in a setting that is one step closer to a clinical tumor presentation.
It is well known within the preclinical research community that the tumor microenvironment can play an important role in the response of tumor cells to therapies. Thus, the context in which the cell resides matters, and discovery oncology research increasingly requires the use of orthotopic and transgenic models in order to provide the greatest confidence in potential clinical effect.
The deep tissue location of the tumors in many orthotopic models makes the assessment of anti-cancer activity difficult without the use of imaging techniques. Traditional methods require the sacrifice of large cohorts of animals, at different time points, to track tumor progression, metastatic spread, and response to therapy. Imaging technology advancements allow for the non-invasive, real-time imaging of orthotopic tumors, over time, with greater speed and fewer animals than traditional methods. Imaging technologies can be combined in orthotopic models to track the response of a tumor to therapy at the anatomic, functional, or molecular (mechanism-of-action) levels.
At Labcorp, we work closely with you to determine the most relevant imaging modality for the question you are trying to answer.
We offer highly reproducible orthotopic models for the following tissue types:
- Brain
- Breast
- Colon
- Leukemia
- Liver
- Lung
- Lymphoma
- Myeloma
- Ovarian
- Pancreas
- Prostate
- Renal