Name: a human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (pbmc) engrafted humanized xenograft model for translational immuno-oncology (i-o) research
Uploaded: 2019-08-15T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell PBMC Engrafted Humanized Xenograft Model for Translational Immuno-oncology I-O Research at JoVE.com

We thank members of our laboratories for helpful discussions. This work was partially supported by the Biomedical and Life Science Innovation and Cultivation Research Program of the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission under Grant Agreement No. Z151100003915070 (project &#34;Preclinical study on a novel immune oncology anti-tumor drug BGB-A317&#34;), and it was also partially supported by internal company funding for preclinical research.

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of BeiGene and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. All procedures performed in studies involving animals were approved by the Internal Review Board at BeiGene. This protocol has been specifically adjusted for the evaluation of BGB-A317 (...

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Our knowledge of cancer development and progression has advanced significantly in recent years, with focus on a comprehensive understanding of both the tumor cells and its associated stroma. Harnessing the host immune mechanisms could induce a greater impact against cancer cells, representing a promising treatment strategy. Murine models with intact mouse immune systems, such as syngeneic and GEM models, have been widely used to study checkpoint-mediated immunity. Efficacy assessments using these models depend largely on...

Immuno-oncology (I-O) is a rapidly expanding field of cancer treatment. Researchers have recently started to appreciate the therapeutic potential of modulating functions of the immune system to attack tumors. Immune checkpoint blockades have demonstrated encouraging activities in a variety of cancer types, including melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, head and neck, lung, bladder and prostate cancers1,2. Contrary to targeted therapies that directly kill &#160;cancer cells, I-O therapies potentiate the body&#8217;s immune system to attack tumors3.
To date, numerous relevant I-O animal models have been established. These include: 1) mouse tumor cell lines or tumor homograft in syngeneic mice; 2) spontaneous tumors derived from genetically engineered mouse (GEM) or carcinogen-induction; 3) chimeric GEMs with the knock-in of human drug target(s) in a functional murine immune system; and 4) mice with reconstituted human immunity transplanted with human cancer cells or patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). Each of these models have obvious advantages as well as limitations, which have been described and reviewed extensively elsewhere4.
Reconstitution of human immunity in immunodeficient mice have been growingly appreciated as a clinically relevant approach for translational I-O research. This is usually achieved through either 1) engraftment of adult immune cells (e.g., peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMBC))5,6, or 2) engraftment of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) from, for example, umbilical cord blood or fetal liver7,8. These humanized mice could support the growth of human tumors, thus allowing the assessment of I-O therapies in the context of both human immunity and human cancers. Despite the advantages, applications of humanized mice in I-O research were usually hindered by several concerns, such as long model development time and considerably high cost.
Here, we describe a human PBMC-based model that could be widely applied for translational I-O studies. This model is comparatively time- and cost-effective with high reproducibility in efficacy studies. It has been used in-house for the evaluations of several I-O therapeutics currently under preclinical and clinical development. BGB-A317 (Tislelizumab), an investigational humanized anti-PD-1 antibody9 , is used as the example to discuss model development, characterization, and possible applications for anti-tumor efficacy analyses.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:955px;" width="955">
	<colgroup>
		<col />
		<col />
		<col />
		<col />
	</colgroup>
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:408px;">PBMC separation /cell culture</td>
			<td style="width:211px;"></td>
			<td style="width:193px;"></td>
			<td style="width:143px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Histopaque-1077</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">10771</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Cell isolation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">DMEM</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Corning</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">10-013-CVR</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">DPBS</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Corning</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">21-031-CVR</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">FBS</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Corning</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">35-076-CV</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Penicillin-Streptomycin, Liquid</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Gibco</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">15140-163</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Trypsin-EDTA (0.25%), phenol red</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Gibco</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">25200-114</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:408px;">Matrigel</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Corning</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">356237</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">CDX inoculation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:408px;">FACS analysis</td>
			<td style="width:211px;"></td>
			<td style="width:193px;"></td>
			<td style="width:143px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:408px;">Deoxyribonuclease I from bovine pancreas</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">DN25</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Sample preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:408px;">Collagenase Type I</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">C0130</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Sample preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Anti-mouse/human CD11b (M1/70) antibody</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">BioLegend</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">101206</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">FACS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Anti-mouse Ly-6C (HK1.4) antibody</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">BioLegend</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">128008</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">FACS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Anti-mouse Ly-6G (1A8) antibody</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">BioLegend</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">127614</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">FACS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Anti-human CD8 (OKT8) antibody</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Sungene Biotech</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">H10082-11H</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">FACS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Anti-human CD279 (MIH4) antibody</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">eBioscience</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">12-9969-42</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">FACS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Anti-human CD3 (HIT3a) antibody</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">4A Biotech</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">--</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">FACS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:408px;">Guava easyCyte 8HT Benchtop Flow Cytometer</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Millipore</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">0500-4008</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">FACS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:408px;">Tumor/PDX implantation /dosing / measurement</td>
			<td style="width:211px;"></td>
			<td style="width:193px;"></td>
			<td style="width:143px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:408px;">Cyclophosphamide</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">J&#38;K</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">Cat#419656, CAS#6055-19-2</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">In vivo efficacy</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:408px;">Disulfiram</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">J&#38;K</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">Cat#591123, CAS#97-77-8</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">In vivo efficacy</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Syringe</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">BD</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">300841</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">CDX inoculation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:408px;">Hypodermic needles (14G)</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Shanghai SA Mediciall &#38; Plastic Instruments Co., Ltd.</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">0.7*32 TW SB</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">PDX inoculation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:408px;">Vernier Caliper (MarCal)</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Mahr</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">16ER</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Tumor measurement</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:408px;">IVC individual ventilated cages</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Lingyunboji Ltd.</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">IVC-128</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Animal facility</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:408px;">IHC</td>
			<td style="width:211px;"></td>
			<td style="width:193px;"></td>
			<td style="width:143px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Leica ASP200 Vacuum tissue processor</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Leica</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">ASP200</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">IHC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:408px;">Leica RM2235 Manual Rotary Microtome for Routine Sectioning</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Leica</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">RM2235</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">IHC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Leica EG1150 H Heated Paraffin Embedding Module</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Leica</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">EG1150 H</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">IHC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Ariol-Clinical IHC and FISH Scanner</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Leica</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">Ariol</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">IHC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Anti-human CD8 (EP334) antibody</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">ZSGB-Bio</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">ZA-0508</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">IHC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Anti-human PD1 [NAT105] antibody</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Abcam</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">ab52587</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">IHC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:408px;">Anti-human PD-L1 (E1L3N) antibody</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">Cell Signaling Technology</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">13684S</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">IHC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:408px;">Polink-2 plus Polymer HRP Detection System</td>
			<td style="width:211px;">ZSGB-Bio</td>
			<td style="width:193px;">PV-9001/9002</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">IHC</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

a human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (pbmc) engrafted humanized xenograft model for translational immuno-oncology (i-o) research

The discovery and development of immuno-oncology (I-O) therapy in recent years represents a milestone in the treatment of cancer. However, treatment challenges persist. Robust and disease-relevant animal models are vital resources for continued preclinical research and development in order to address a range of additional immune checkpoints. Here, we describe a human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) &#8212; based humanized xenograft model. BGB-A317 (Tislelizumab), an investigational humanized anti-PD-1 antibody in late-stage clinical development, is used as an example to discuss platform set-up, model characterization and drug efficacy evaluations. These humanized mice support the growth of most human tumors tested, thus allowing the assessment of I-O therapies in the context of both human immunity and human cancers. Once established, our model is comparatively time- and cost-effective, and usually yield highly reproducible results. We suggest that the protocol outlined in this article could serve as a general guideline for establishing mouse models reconstituted with human PBMC and tumors for I-O research.

Following the procedures presented here, a PBMC-based humanized xenograft model was successfully established. In brief, CP myeloablation effects in NOD/SCID mice was determined by flow cytometry analysis of neutrophil and monocyte populations post CP and DS treatment (Figure 1). 100 mg/kg CP plus 125 mg/kg DS was determined as the optimal dose and used in later studies as the regimen results in maximum depletion of neutrophils and monocytes without causing severe toxicity to mice. Next, huma...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell PBMC Engrafted Humanized Xenograft Model for Translational Immuno-oncology I-O Research at JoVE.com

A Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell PBMC Engrafted Humanized Xenograft Model for Translational Immuno-oncology I-O Research

We describe a human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) &#8212; based humanized xenograft mouse model for translational immuno-oncology research. This protocol could serve as a general guideline for establishing and characterizing similar models for I-O therapy assessment.

A Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMC) Engrafted Humanized Xenograft Model for Translational Immuno-oncology (I-O) Research

The discovery and development of immuno-oncology (I-O) therapy in recent years represents a milestone in the treatment of cancer. However, treatment ...

Our protocol can serve as a general guideline for establishing mouse models reconstituted with human PBMC and tumors for immuno-oncology research. These procedures provide a cost-effective and highly reproducible approach for partially reconstituting human immunity in human tumor-bearing mice through subcutaneous and mixing of human PBMC with cancer xenografts. Demonstrating the procedures with me will be Xinxin Cui, Yanjuan Zhang, Huichen Bai and Xiaolong Yang, sent us from the Pharmacology Department.For myeloid cell depletion intra peritoneally deliver 100mg per kilogram of cyclophosphamide and orally deliver 125mg per kilogram of disulfiram to six to eight week old NOD/SCID female mice once a day for two days. 24 hours after the second dose of cyclophosphamide and disulfiram, resuspend five times 10 of the six freshly isolated human PBMC and 2.5 times 10 of the six human tumor cell line cells and 200 microliters of PBS plus 50%metrogel per animal and inject the entire volume subcutaneously into the right flank of each experimental animal. Measure and record the primary tumor volume two times a week for four to six weeks.When the tumors reach an average volume of 200 to 500 millimeters cubed, use optomic scissors to harvest whole tumor from each animal. PBMC donors tumor cell lines and patient derived xenografts that result in a moderate tumor growth with relatively high PD-1, PD-L1 and CD8 expression should be used for subsequent analysis. For immunohistochemical analysis of the harvested tumor tissues, fix the samples and formalin 24 to 72 hours before dehydration and embedding of the tissues in paraffin.Obtain three micrometer sections of the embedded tissues on polylysine coated slides and deparaffinize the samples with three seven minute xylene immersions. After the third treatment, hydrate the sections with three minute graded alcohol immersions. Then rinse the slide in deionized water three times and remove any excess liquid from the slides.To perform antigen retrieval, place the slides in a container and cover the slides with 10 millimolar sodiocitrate buffer. Heat the slides, container, in a microwave for three minutes before placing the slides in a 95 degrees Celsius water bath for 30 minutes. After cooling to room temperature, rinse the slides three times in deionized water and aspirate any excess liquid from the slides.Incubate with 0.3%hydrogen peroxide for 10 minutes to block endogenous peroxidase activity followed by blocking with 3%BSA and PBS for one hour. At the end of the hydrogen peroxide incubation, label the slides with the appropriate primary antibodies at four degrees Celsius overnight. The next morning, treat the slides with horseradish peroxidase conjugated secondary antibody for one hour at room temperature before applying the substrate dropwise onto the slides until an appropriate level of brown staining is observed by light microscopy.Next, stain the samples with hematoxylin. After one minute, stop the reaction with distilled water followed by a five second submersion in 0.5%hydrochloric acid alcohol and five seconds in 0.5%ammonia water. Then dehydrate the samples with three ascending three minute ethanol and three, five minute xylene immersion.To assess the antitumor activity of a candidate drug of interest, initiate the treatment on the day of the cell inoculation according to the planned experimental protocol and monitor the primary tumor volume twice a week for four to six weeks. For PharmaCODE dynamic analysis of the tumor infiltrated immune cells, mince the tumor tissues into small pieces and digest the fragments with collagenase type one and DNase I and RPMI-1640 medium plus 5%FBS for 30 minutes at 37 degrees Celsius. At the end of the digestion, filter the digested tissue through a 40 micrometer cell strainer to obtain a single cell suspension and collect the cells by centrifugation.Resuspend the pellet at a one times 10 of the seventh cells per milliliter of ice cold fax buffer concentration and transfer an equal volume of cells to the appropriate number of wells in a 96-well round bottom plate. Collect the cells by centrifugation and resuspend the pellets in 20 micrograms per milliliter of human IGG for 30 minutes to block any nonspecific binding. Then stain the cells with the appropriate primary antibodies for 30 minutes at four degrees Celsius before their analysis by flow cytometry according to standard protocols.As demonstrated, 100 milligrams per kilogram cyclophosphamide and 125 milligrams per kilogram disulfiram myeloablation results in a significant depletion of neutrophils and monocytes four days post-treatment. After human PBMC and tumor transplantation, the presence of human immune cell infiltrates can be verified within the tumor microenvironment by immunohistochemistry. An in vivo screening of a panel of PBMC donors can be performed to confirm the presence of a relatively high immune cell infiltration into the tumor microenvironment in an acceptable tumor growth rate.Human cancer cell lines in patient derived xenografts of different cancer types can also be evaluated to assess the tumor growth rate and immune cell infiltration. In this representative experiment, treatment of the PBMC and grafted humanized mice with humanized anti-PD1 antibody resulted in significant antitumor activities. Disulfiram decreases urotoxicity of cyclophosphamide, the combination may exert longer lasting neutropenia effects in mice.The exact dose regimen of cyclophosphamide and disulfiram may need to be predetermined. Newer strains of more immunodeficient mice for easier human immunity reconstitution and decreased xenogenic GvHD effect have been established and are pending further investigations with our documented protocol. Our model is useful for evaluating T-cell engaging cancer immune therapies, particularly when working on short timelines or for selecting agents before moving to a more complex multilineage immunity model.

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Research

JoVE Journal

Cancer Research

A Mouse Model of Fatigue Induced by Peripheral Irradiation

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a distressing and costly condition that often affects patients receiving cancer treatments, including radiation therapy. Here we describe a method using targeted peripheral irradiation to induce fatigue-like behavior in mice. With appropriate shielding, the irradiation targets the lower abdominal/pelvic region of the mouse, sparing the brain, in an effort to model radiation treatment received by individuals with pelvic cancers. We deliver an irradiation dose that is sufficient to induce fatigue-like behavior in mice, measured by voluntary wheel-running activity (VWRA), without causing obvious morbidity. Since wheel running is a normal, voluntary behavior in mice, its use should have little confounding effect on other behavioral tests or biological measures. Hence, wheel running can be used as a feasible outcome measure in understanding the behavioral and biological correlates of fatigue. CRF is a complex condition with frequent comorbidities, and likely has causes related both to cancer and its various treatments. The methods described in this paper are useful for investigating radiation-induced changes that contribute to the development of CRF and, more generally, to explore the biological networks that can explain the development and persistence of a peripherally-triggered but centrally-driven behavior like fatigue.

We describe a method using targeted peripheral irradiation to induce fatigue-like behavior in mice. The selected non-lethal irradiation dose leads to a week-long reduction in voluntary wheel-running activity.

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a distressing and costly condition that often affects patients receiving cancer treatments, including radiation therapy. ...

Tumor Engraftment in a Xenograft Mouse Model of Human Mantle Cell Lymphoma

B lymphocytes are key players in immune cell circulation and they mainly home to and reside in lymphoid organs. While normal B cells only proliferate when stimulated by T lymphocytes, oncogenic B cells survive and expand autonomously in undefined organ niches. Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is one such B cell disorder, where the median survival rate of patients is 4 - 5 years. This calls for the need of effective mechanisms by which the homing and engraftment of these cells are blocked in order to increase the survival and longevity of patients. Therefore, the effort to develop a xenograft mouse model to study the efficacy of MCL therapeutics by blocking the homing mechanism in vivo is of utmost importance. Development of animal recipients for human cell xenotransplantation to test early stage drugs have long been pursued, as relevant preclinical mouse models are crucial to screen new therapeutic agents. This animal model is developed to avoid human graft rejection and to establish a model for human diseases, and it may be an extremely useful tool to study disease progression of different lymphoma types and to perform preclinical testing of candidate drugs for hematologic malignancies, like MCL. We established a xenograft mouse model that will serve as an excellent resource to study and develop novel therapeutic approaches for MCL.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a difficult to treat B cell disorder and it is equally difficult to establish a xenograft mouse model of primary MCL to study and develop therapeutics. Here, we describe the successful establishment of MCL xenografts in mice to help understand its underlying biology.

B lymphocytes are key players in immune cell circulation and they mainly home to and reside in lymphoid organs. While normal B cells only proliferate when ...

Development of a Human Preclinical Model of Osteoclastogenesis from Peripheral Blood Monocytes Co-cultured with Breast Cancer Cell Lines

The crosstalk between tumor cells and bone cells in the bone microenvironment is crucial to understanding the mechanism of bone metastasis formation. We developed an in vitro fully human preclinical model of a co-culture of breast cancer cells and monocytes undergoing differentiation towards osteoclasts. We optimized a model of osteoclastogenesis starting from a sample of peripheral blood collected from healthy donors. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were first separated by density gradient centrifugation, seeded at a high density and induced to differentiate by adding two growth factors (GFs): receptor activator of nuclear factor-&#954;B ligand (RANKL) and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (MCSF). The cells were left in culture for 14 days and then fixed and analyzed by downstream analysis. In osteolytic bone metastases, one of the effects of cancer cell arrival in bone is the induction of osteoclastogenesis. We thus challenged our model with co-cultures of breast cancer cells to study the differentiation power of cancer cells with respect to GFs. A straightforward way of studying cancer cell-osteoclast interaction is to perform indirect co-cultures based on the use of conditioned medium collected from breast cancer cell cultures and mixed with fresh medium. This mixture is then used to induce osteoclast differentiation. We also optimized a method of direct co-culture in which cancer cells and monocytes undergoing differentiation share the medium and exchange secreted factors. This is a significant improvement over the original indirect co-culture method as researchers can observe the reciprocal interactions of the two cell types and perform downstream analyses for both cancer cells and osteoclasts. This method enables us to study the effect of drugs on the metastatic bone microenvironment and to seed cell lines other than those derived from breast cancer. The model can also be used to study other diseases such as osteoporosis or other bone conditions.

This protocol describes development of an in vitro human preclinical model of osteoclastogenesis from peripheral blood monocytes cultured with breast cancer cell lines to mimic the cancer cell-osteoclast interaction. The model could be used to further our understanding of bone metastasis formation and improve therapeutic options.

The crosstalk between tumor cells and bone cells in the bone microenvironment is crucial to understanding the mechanism of bone metastasis formation. We ...

Automated Multiplex Immunofluorescence Panel for Immuno-oncology Studies on Formalin-fixed Carcinoma Tissue Specimens

Continued developments in immuno-oncology require an increased understanding of the mechanisms of cancer immunology. The immunoprofiling analysis of tissue samples from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biopsies has become a key tool for understanding the complexity of tumor immunology and discovering novel predictive biomarkers for cancer immunotherapy. Immunoprofiling analysis of tissues requires the evaluation of combined markers, including inflammatory cell subpopulations and immune checkpoints, in the tumor microenvironment. The advent of novel multiplex immunohistochemical methods allows for a more efficient multiparametric analysis of single tissue sections than does standard monoplex immunohistochemistry (IHC). One commercially available multiplex immunofluorescence (IF) method is based on tyramide-signal amplification and, combined with multispectral microscopic analysis, allows for a better signal separation of diverse markers in tissue. This methodology is compatible with the use of unconjugated primary antibodies that have been optimized for standard IHC on FFPE tissue samples. Herein we describe in detail an automated protocol that allows multiplex IF labeling of carcinoma tissue samples with a six-marker multiplex antibody panel comprising PD-L1, PD-1, CD68, CD8, Ki-67, and AE1/AE3 cytokeratins with 4&#8242;,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole as a nuclear cell counterstain. The multiplex panel protocol is optimized in an automated IHC stainer for a staining time that is shorter than that of the manual protocol and can be directly applied and adapted by any laboratory investigator for immuno-oncology studies on human FFPE tissue samples. Also described are several controls and tools, including a drop-control method for fine quality control of a new multiplex IF panel, that are useful for the optimization and validation of the technique.

A detailed protocol for a six-marker multiplex immunofluorescence panel is optimized and performed, using an automated stainer for more consistent results and a shorter procedure time. This approach can be directly adapted by any laboratory for immuno-oncology studies.

Continued developments in immuno-oncology require an increased understanding of the mechanisms of cancer immunology. The immunoprofiling analysis of ...

Patient-derived Orthotopic Xenograft Models for Human Urothelial Cell Carcinoma and Colorectal Cancer Tumor Growth and Spontaneous Metastasis

Cancer patients have poor prognoses when lymph node (LN) involvement is present in both high-grade urothelial cell carcinoma (HG-UCC) of the bladder and colorectal cancer (CRC). More than 50% of patients with muscle-invasive UCC, despite curative therapy for clinically-localized disease, will develop metastases and die within 5 years, and metastatic CRC is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US. Xenograft models that consistently mimic UCC and CRC metastasis seen in patients are needed. This study aims to generate patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) models of UCC and CRC for primary tumor growth and spontaneous metastases under the influence of LN stromal cells mimicking the progression of human metastatic diseases for drug screening. Fresh UCC and CRC tumors were obtained from consented patients undergoing resection for HG-UCC and colorectal adenocarcinoma, respectively. Co-inoculated with LN stromal cell (LNSC) analog HK cells, luciferase-tagged UCC cells were intra-vesically (IB) instilled into female non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mice, and CRC cells were intra-rectally (IR) injected into male NOD/SCID mice. Tumor growth and metastasis were monitored weekly using bioluminescence imaging (BLI). Upon sacrifice, primary tumors and mouse organs were harvested, weighed, and formalin-fixed for Hematoxylin and Eosin and immunohistochemistry staining. In our unique PDOX models, xenograft tumors resemble patient pre-implantation tumors. In the presence of HK cells, both models have high tumor implantation rates measured by BLI and tumor weights, 83.3% for UCC and 96.9% for CRC, and high distant organ metastasis rates (33.3% detected liver or lung metastasis for UCC and 53.1% for CRC). In addition, both models have zero mortality from the procedure. We have established unique, reproducible PDOX models for human HG-UCC and CRC, which allow for tumor formation, growth, and metastasis studies. With these models, testing of novel therapeutic drugs can be performed efficiently and in a clinically-mimetic manner.

This protocol describes the generation of patient-derived orthotopic xenograft models by intra-vesically instilling high-grade urothelial cell carcinoma cells or intra-rectally injecting colorectal cancer cells into non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mice for primary tumor growth and spontaneous metastases under the influence of lymph node stromal cells, which mimics the progression of human metastatic diseases.

Cancer patients have poor prognoses when lymph node (LN) involvement is present in both high-grade urothelial cell carcinoma (HG-UCC) of the bladder and ...

Patient-derived Heterogeneous Xenograft Model of Pancreatic Cancer Using Zebrafish Larvae as Hosts for Comparative Drug Assessment

Patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) and cell-derived tumor xenograft (CDX) are important techniques for preclinical assessment, medication guidance and basic cancer researches. Generations of PDX models in traditional host mice are time-consuming and only working for a small proportion of samples. Recently, zebrafish PDX (zPDX) has emerged as a unique host system, with the characteristics of small-scale and high efficiency. Here, we describe an optimized methodology for generating a dual fluorescence-labeled tumor xenograft model for comparative chemotherapy assessment in zPDX models. Tumor cells and fibroblasts were enriched from freshly-harvested or frozen pancreatic cancer tissue at different culture conditions. Both cell groups were labeled by lentivirus expressing green or red fluorescent proteins, as well as an anti-apoptosis gene BCL2L1. The transfected cells were pre-mixed and co-injected into the 2 dpf larval zebrafish that were then bred in modified E3 medium at 32 &#176;C. The xenograft models were treated by chemotherapy drugs and/or BCL2L1 inhibitor, and the viabilities of both tumor cells and fibroblasts were investigated simultaneously. In summary, this protocol allows researchers to quickly generate a large amount of zPDX models with a heterogeneous tumor microenvironment and provides a longer observation window and a more precise quantitation in assessing the efficiency of drug candidates.

This protocol describes optimization procedures in a virus-based dual fluorescence-labeled tumor xenograft model using larval zebrafish as hosts. This heterogeneous xenograft model mimics the tissue composition of pancreatic cancer microenvironment in vivo and serves as a more precise tool for assessing drug responses in personalized zPDX (zebrafish patient-derived xenograft) models.

Patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) and cell-derived tumor xenograft (CDX) are important techniques for preclinical assessment, medication guidance and ...

A Melanoma Patient-Derived Xenograft Model

Accumulating evidence suggests that molecular and biological properties differ in melanoma cells grown in traditional two-dimensional tissue culture vessels versus in vivo in human patients. This is due to the bottleneck selection of clonal populations of melanoma cells that can robustly grow in vitro in the absence of physiological conditions. Further, responses to therapy in two-dimensional tissue cultures overall do not faithfully reflect responses to therapy in melanoma patients, with the majority of clinical trials failing to show the efficacy of therapeutic combinations shown to be effective in vitro. Although xenografting of melanoma cells into mice provides the physiological in vivo context absent from two-dimensional tissue culture assays, the melanoma cells used for engraftment have already undergone bottleneck selection for cells that could grow under two-dimensional conditions when the cell line was established. The irreversible alterations that occur as a consequence of the bottleneck include changes in growth and invasion properties, as well as the loss of specific subpopulations. Therefore, models that better recapitulate the human condition in vivo may better predict therapeutic strategies that effectively increase the overall survival of patients with metastatic melanoma. The patient-derived xenograft (PDX) technique involves the direct implantation of tumor cells from the human patient to a mouse recipient. In this manner, tumor cells are consistently grown under physiological stresses in vivo and never undergo the two-dimensional bottleneck, which preserves the molecular and biological properties present when the tumor was in the human patient. Notable, PDX models derived from organ sites of metastases (i.e., brain) display similar metastatic capacity, while PDX models derived from therapy naive patients and patients with acquired resistance to therapy (i.e., BRAF/MEK inhibitor therapy) display similar sensitivity to therapy.

Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models more robustly recapitulate melanoma molecular and biological features and are more predictive of therapy response compared to traditional plastic tissue culture-based assays. Here we describe our standard operating protocol for the establishment of new PDX models and the characterization/experimentation of existing PDX models.

Accumulating evidence suggests that molecular and biological properties differ in melanoma cells grown in traditional two-dimensional tissue culture ...

Establishment of Gastric Cancer Patient-derived Xenograft Models and Primary Cell Lines

The use of preclinical models to advance our understanding of tumor biology and investigate the efficacy of therapeutic agents is key to cancer research. Although there are many established gastric cancer cell lines and many conventional transgenic mouse models for preclinical research, the disadvantages of these in vitro and in vivo models limit their applications. Because the characteristics of these models have changed in culture, they no longer model tumor heterogeneity, and their responses have not been able to predict responses in humans. Thus, alternative models that better represent tumor heterogeneity are being developed. Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models preserve the histologic appearance of cancer cells, retain intratumoral heterogeneity, and better reflect the relevant human components of the tumor microenvironment. However, it usually takes 4-8 months to develop a PDX model, which is longer than the expected survival of many gastric patients. For this reason, establishing primary cancer cell lines may be an effective complementary method for drug response studies. The current protocol describes methods to establish PDX models and primary cancer cell lines from surgical gastric cancer samples. These methods provide a useful tool for drug development and cancer biology research.

The current protocol describes methods to establish patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models and primary cancer cell lines from surgical gastric cancer samples. The methods provide a useful tool for drug development and cancer biology research.

The use of preclinical models to advance our understanding of tumor biology and investigate the efficacy of therapeutic agents is key to cancer research. ...

Isolating Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and CD4+ T cells from S&#233;zary Syndrome Patients for Transcriptomic Profiling

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) are derived from the transformation and uncontrolled proliferation of mature skin-homing T cells, and mycosis fungoides (MF) and S&#233;zary syndrome (SS) represent the most common subtypes. Despite a number of studies on characterizing gene expression, genetic alterations, and epigenetic abnormalities of CTCL, the molecular pathogenesis of MF/SS remains unclear. MF refers to the more common CTCL with a skin-predominance, and is usually limited to skin, whereas&#160;SS is an aggressive leukemic variant of CTCL with widespread skin involvement and is characterized by neoplastic distribution mainly involving blood, skin, and lymph node. Focusing on clinical practice, the identification of gene expression biomarkers has&#160;enormous potential to improve diagnosis and treatment of MF/SS. Indeed, recent transcriptomic studies have identified potential diagnostic biomarkers from differences in gene expression between normal and malignant T cells, which may improve our understanding of SS biology, and reveal potential therapeutic targets. This manuscript describes a detailed reproducible protocol for the isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from fresh whole blood from patients diagnosed with SS, selection of CD4+ memory T cells (CD4+CD45RO+ T cells), chemical stimulation, and preparation of RNA suitable for transcriptomic profiling to discover novel prognostic molecular markers to gain additional insight in disease etiology. The stimulation using chemical agonist to activate nuclear regulation provides more specific assessment for pathways important in the dynamic transcription regulation and gene expression and eliminates confounding defects that may arise from upstream signaling defects arising from TCR antigen loss at the cell membrane. The data obtained from comparison of transcriptome of unstimulated to stimulated SS T cells unmasks functional regulatory gene expression defects not evident from analysis of quiescent unstimulated cells. Furthermore, the method outlined from this approach can be adapted for studying T cell gene expression defects in other T cell immune diseases.

Isolating Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and CD4+ T cells from S&amp;#233;zary Syndrome Patients for Transcriptomic Profiling

We present a simple protocol for the isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from whole blood obtained from patients diagnosed with S&#233;zary Syndrome, followed by selection of CD4+ T cells, their stimulation with phorbol12-myristate13-acetate and A23187 ionophore, and preparation of RNA for transcriptomic profiling.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) are derived from the transformation and uncontrolled proliferation of mature skin-homing T cells, and mycosis fungoides ...

Circulating Tumor Cell Lines: an Innovative Tool for Fundamental and Translational Research

Metastasis is a leading cause of cancer death. Despite improvements in treatment strategies, metastatic cancer has a poor prognosis. We thus face an urgent need to understand the mechanisms behind metastasis development, and thus to propose efficient treatments for advanced cancer. Metastatic cancers are hard to treat, as biopsies are invasive and inaccessible. Recently, there has been considerable interest in liquid biopsies including both cell-free circulating deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and circulating tumor cells from peripheral blood and we have established several circulating tumor cell lines from metastatic colorectal cancer patients to participate in their characterization. Indeed, to functionally characterize these rare and poorly described cells, the crucial step is to expand them. Once established, circulating tumor cell (CTC) lines can then be cultured in suspension or adherent conditions. At the molecular level, CTC lines can be further used to assess the expression of specific markers of interest (such as differentiation, epithelial or cancer stem cells) by immunofluorescence or cytometry analysis. In addition, CTC lines can be used to assess drug sensitivity to gold-standard chemotherapies as well as to targeted therapies. The ability of CTC lines to initiate tumors can also be tested by subcutaneous injection of CTCs in immunodeficient mice.
Finally, it is possible to test the role of specific genes of interest that might be involved in cancer dissemination by editing CTC genes, by short hairpin ribonucleic acid (shRNA) or Crispr/Cas9. Modified CTCs can thus be injected into immunodeficient mouse spleens, to experimentally mimic part of the metastatic development process in vivo.
In conclusion, CTC lines are a precious tool for future research and for personalized medicine, where they will allow prediction of treatment efficiency using the very cells that are originally responsible for metastasis.

Culturing CTCs allows a deeper functional characterization of cancer, through assaying specific marker expression, and assessing drug resistance and the ability to colonize the liver among other possibilities. Overall, CTC culture could be a promising clinical tool for personalized medicine to improve patient outcome.

Metastasis is a leading cause of cancer death. Despite improvements in treatment strategies, metastatic cancer has a poor prognosis. We thus face an ...