This work was supported by the Ellison Medical Foundation grant AG-NS-0843-11, and the NIH Pilot Grant within the NCI Cancer Center Support Grant P30CA030199 to A.S.

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<li>Johnson, S., Chen, H., Lo, P. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((In+vitro+Tumorsphere+Formation+Assays%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Bio-Protocol%22%5BJournal%5D)">In vitro Tumorsphere Formation Assays.</a> Bio-Protocol. 3 (3), (2013).</li>
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<li>Takahashi, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Downstream+molecular+pathways+of+FLT3+in+the+pathogenesis+of+acute+myeloid+leukemia%3A+biology+and+therapeutic+implications%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Jornal+of+Hematology+and+Oncology%22%5BJournal%5D)">Downstream molecular pathways of FLT3 in the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia: biology and therapeutic implications.</a> Jornal of Hematology and Oncology. 4, (2011).</li>
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<li>Jimenez-Hernandez, L. E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((NRP1-positive+lung+cancer+cells+possess+tumor-initiating+properties%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Oncology+Reports%22%5BJournal%5D)">NRP1-positive lung cancer cells possess tumor-initiating properties.</a> Oncology Reports. 39 (1), 349-357 (2018).</li>
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</ol>

The authors have nothing to disclose.

Multiple methods have been employed for isolation and characterization of TPCs from tumor heterogeneous cell populations: tumor clonogenic assays, FACS isolation, and tumorsphere formation assay. The tumor clonogenic assay was first described in 1971, used for stem cell studies, and only subsequently applied to cancer biology29,30. This method is based on the cancer stem cells intrinsic property to expand without constraints in soft gels cultures<sup class='xref'...

Cancer is a heterogeneous disease; furthermore, the same type of tumor can present different genetic mutations in different patients, and within a patient a tumor is composed by multiple populations of cells1. Heterogeneity presents a challenge in the identification of cells responsible for initiating and propagating cancer, but their characterization is essential for the development of efficient treatments. The notion of tumor propagating cells (TPC), a rare population of cells that contribute to tumor development, has been previously extensively reviewed2. Despite the fact that TPCs have been characterized in multiple types of cancer, the identification of markers for their reliable isolation remains a challenge for several tumor types3,4,5,6,7,8,9. Thus, a method that does not rely on molecular markers but rather on TPC functional properties (high self-renewal and the ability to grow in low-attachment conditions), known as the tumorsphere formation assay, can be widely applied for the identification of TPCs from most tumors. Importantly, this assay can also be employed for expansion of TPCs and thus directly applied to cancer drug screening and studies on cancer resistance1,10.
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a rare form of soft tissue sarcoma most common in young children11. Althoug RMS can be histologically identified through assessment of expression of myogenic markers, the RMS cell of origin has not been univocally characterized due to the multiple tumor subtypes and high heterogeneity of the tumor developmental stimuli. Indeed, recent studies have generated significant scientific discussion about whether RMS is of myogenic or non-myogenic origins, suggesting that RMS may derive from different cells types depending on the context12,13,14,15,16,17. Numerous studies on RMS cell lines have been performed employing the tumorsphere formation assay for the identification of pathways involved in tumor development and characterization of markers associated with highly self-renewal populations18,19,20,21.
However, despite the tumorsphere formation assay&#39;s potential for identifying RMS cells of origin, a reliable method that can be employed on primary RMS cells has not yet been described. In this context, a recent study from our group employed an optimized tumorsphere formation assay for the identification of the RMS cells of origin in a Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) mouse model22. Multiple pre-tumorigenic cell types, isolated from muscle tissues, are tested for their ability to grow in low-attachment conditions, allowing the identification of muscle stem cells as cells of origin for RMS in dystrophic contexts. Described here is a reproducible and reliable protocol for the tumorsphere formation assay (Figure 1), which has been successfully employed for the identification of extremely rare cell populations that are responsible for mouse RMS development.

<table><tbody><tr><td>Accutase cell dissociation reagent</td><td>Gibco</td><td>A1110501</td><td>Detach adherent cells and dissociate tumorspheres</td></tr><tr><td>Celigo</td><td>Nexcelom</td><td>Celigo</td><td>Microwell plate based image cytometer for adherent and suspension cells</td></tr><tr><td>Collagenase, Type II</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>17101015</td><td>Tissue digestion enzyme</td></tr><tr><td>Dispase II, protease</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>17105041</td><td>Tissue digestion enzyme</td></tr><tr><td>DMEM high glucose media</td><td>Gibco</td><td>11965092</td><td>Component of tumor cells media</td></tr><tr><td>DMEM/F12 Media</td><td>Gibco</td><td>11320033</td><td>Component of tumosphere media</td></tr><tr><td>EDTA</td><td>ThermoFisher</td><td>S312500</td><td>Component of FACS buffer</td></tr><tr><td>EGF recombinant mouse protein</td><td>Gibco</td><td>PMG8041</td><td>Component of tumosphere media</td></tr><tr><td>FACSAria II Flow Cytometry</td><td>BD Biosciences</td><td>650033</td><td>Fluorescent activated cell sorter</td></tr><tr><td>Fetal Bovine Serum</td><td>Omega Scientific</td><td>FB-11</td><td>Component of tumor cells media</td></tr><tr><td>Fluriso (Isofluornae) anesthetic agent</td><td>MWI Vet Supply</td><td>502017</td><td>Anesthetic reagent for animals</td></tr><tr><td>FxCycle Violet Stain</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>F10347</td><td>Discriminate live and dead cells</td></tr><tr><td>Goat Serum</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>16210072</td><td>Component of FACS buffer</td></tr><tr><td>Ham&#039;s F10 Media</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>11550043</td><td>Component of FACS buffer</td></tr><tr><td>Horse Serum</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>16050114</td><td>Component of cell isolation media</td></tr><tr><td>Lipofectamine 3000 transfection reagent</td><td>ThermoFisher</td><td>L3000015</td><td>Transfection Reagent</td></tr><tr><td>Matrigel membrane matrix</td><td>Corning</td><td>CB40234</td><td>Provides support to trasplanted cells</td></tr><tr><td>N-2 Supplemtns (100X)</td><td>Gibco</td><td>17502048</td><td>Component of tumosphere media</td></tr><tr><td>Neomycin-Polymyxin B Sulfates-Bacitracin Zinc Ophthalmic Ointment</td><td>MWI Vet Supply</td><td>701008</td><td>Eyes ointment</td></tr><tr><td>PBS</td><td>Gibco</td><td>10010023</td><td>Component of FACS buffer and used for washing cells</td></tr><tr><td>pEGFP-C1</td><td>Addgene</td><td>6084-1</td><td>GFP plasmid</td></tr><tr><td>Penicillin - Streptomyocin</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>15140163</td><td>Component of tumosphere and tumor cells media</td></tr><tr><td>Recombinant Human &amp;beta;FGF-basic</td><td>Peprotech</td><td>10018B</td><td>Component of tumosphere media</td></tr><tr><td>Recombinant mouse Flt-3 Ligand Protein</td><td>R&amp;amp;D Systems</td><td>427-FL-005</td><td>Recombinant protein</td></tr><tr><td>Trypan blue</td><td>ThermoFisher</td><td>15250061</td><td>Discriminate live and dead cells</td></tr></tbody></table>

tumorsphere derivation and treatment from primary tumor cells isolated from mouse rhabdomyosarcomas

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. Although significant efforts have enabled the identification of common mutations associated with RMS and allowed discrimination of different RMS subtypes, major challenges still exist for the development of novel treatments to further improve prognosis. Although identified by the expression of myogenic markers, there is still significant controversy over whether RMS has myogenic or non-myogenic origins, as the cell of origin is still poorly understood. In the present study, a reliable method is provided for the tumorsphere assay for mouse RMS. The assay is based on functional properties of tumor cells and allows the identification of rare populations in the tumor with tumorigenic functions. Also described are procedures for testing recombinant proteins, integrating transfection protocols with the tumorsphere assay, and evaluating candidate genes involved in tumor development and growth. Described further is a procedure for allograft transplantation of tumorspheres into recipient mice to validate tumorigenic function in vivo. Overall, the described method allows reliable identification and testing of rare RMS tumorigenic populations that can be applied to RMS arising in different contexts. Finally, the protocol can be utilized as a platform for drug screening and future development of therapeutics.

Tumorspheres detection 
Cell isolation was optimized to obtain the maximum heterogeneity of cell populations present in the tumor tissue. First, since isolated tissues presented morphologically dissimilar areas, to enhance the chances of isolating uniform rare cell populations, sampling was performed from multiple areas of the tumor (Figure 1A, first panel on the left). Second, mechanical dissociation of the harvested samples was perform...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Tumorsphere Derivation and Treatment from Primary Tumor Cells Isolated from Mouse Rhabdomyosarcomas at JoVE.com

Tumorsphere Derivation and Treatment from Primary Tumor Cells Isolated from Mouse Rhabdomyosarcomas

This protocol describes a reproducible method for isolation of mouse rhabdomyosarcoma primary cells, tumorsphere formation and treatment, and allograft transplantation starting from tumorspheres cultures.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. Although significant efforts have enabled the identification of common ...

tumorsphere-derivation-treatment-from-primary-tumor-cells-isolated

Research

JoVE Journal

Genetics

7.1K Views.  Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. Rhabdomyosarcoom is een zeldzame vorm van weke delen sarcomen histologisch gekenmerkt door weefselmorfologie en de expressie van myogene markers. Echter, gezien het bestaan van verschillende subtypes van deze tumoren en de heterogeniteit van de stimuli die bijdraagt aan de vorming ervan, is de identificatie van de cel van oorsprong zeer uitdagend geweest. Hier beschrijven we reproduceerbare en betrouwbare methoden voor de identificatie van de cel van oorsprong van rhabdomyosarcomen vanaf vers...

Video: Tumorsphere Derivation and Treatment from Primary Tumor Cells Isolated from Mouse Rhabdomyosarcomas

Isolation, Enrichment, and Maintenance of Medulloblastoma Stem Cells

Brain tumors have been suggested to possess a small population of stem cells that are the root cause of tumorigenesis. Neurosphere assays have been generally adopted to study the nature of neural stem cells, including those derived from normal and tumorous tissues. However, appreciable amounts of differentiation and cell death are common in cultured neurospheres likely due to sub-optimal condition such as accessibility of all cells within sphere aggregates to culture medium.
Medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric CNS tumor, is characterized by its rapid progression and tendency to spread along the entire brain-spinal axis with dismal clinical outcome. Medulloblastoma is a neuroepithelial tumor of the cerebellum, accounting for 20% and 40% of intracranial and posterior fossa tumor in childhood, respectively1. It is now well established that Shh signaling stimulates proliferation of cerebellar granule neuron precursors (CGNPs) during cerebellar development 2-4. Numerous studies using mouse models, in which the Shh pathway is constitutively activated, have linked Shh signaling with medulloblastoma 5-9.
A recent report has shown that a subset of medulloblastoma cells derived from Patched1LacZ/+ mice are cancer stem cells, which are capable of initiating and propogating tumors 10. Here we describe an efficient method to isolate, enrich and maintain tumor stem cells derived from several mouse models of medulloblastoma, with constitutively activated Shh pathway due to a mutation in Smoothened (11, hereon referred as SmoM2), a GPCR that is critical for Shh pathway activation. In every isolated medulloblastoma tissue, we were able to establish numerous highly proliferative colonies. These cells robustly expressed several neural stem cell markers such as Nestin and Sox2, can undergo serial passages (greater than 20) and were clonogenic. While these cultured tumor stem cells were relatively small, often bipoar with high nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio when cultured under conditions favoring stem cell growth, they dramatically altered their morphology, extended multiple cellular processes, flattened and withdrew from the cell cycle upon switching to a cell culture medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. More importantly, these tumor stem cells differentiated into Tuj1+ or NeuN+ neurons, GFAP+ astrocytes and CNPase+ oligodendrocytes, thus highlighting their multi-potency. Furthermore, these cells were capable of propagating secondary medulloblastomas when orthotopically transplanted into host mice.

This protocol describes the isolation, enrichment, and maintenance of medulloblastoma tumor stem cells derived from mutant mice with ectopic Sonic hedgehog pathway activity.

Brain tumors have been suggested to possess a small population of stem cells that are the root cause of tumorigenesis. Neurosphere assays have been ...

Neuroscience

Establishment and Propagation of Human Retinoblastoma Tumors in Immune Deficient Mice

Culturing retinoblastoma tumor cells in defined stem cell media gives rise to primary tumorspheres that can be grown and maintained for only a limited time. These cultured tumorspheres may exhibit markedly different cellular phenotypes when compared to the original tumors. Demonstration that cultured cells have the capability of forming new tumors is important to ensure that cultured cells model the biology of the original tumor. 
Here we present a protocol for propagating human retinoblastoma tumors in vivo using Rag2-/- immune deficient mice. Cultured human retinoblastoma tumorspheres of low passage or cells obtained from freshly harvested human retinoblastoma tumors injected directly into the vitreous cavity of murine eyes form tumors within 2-4 weeks. These tumors can be harvested and either further passaged into murine eyes in vivo or grown as tumorspheres in vitro. Propagation has been successfully carried out for at least three passages thus establishing a continuing source of human retinoblastoma tissue for further experimentation. 
Wesley S. Bond and Lalita Wadhwa are co-first authors.

A method is described to propagate human retinoblastoma tumors in mice. Tumor cells are directly injected into the eyes of immune deficient mice. Secondary tumors have been successfully established using both cells directly harvested from human tumors and cultured tumorspheres.

Culturing retinoblastoma tumor cells in defined stem cell media gives rise to primary tumorspheres that can be grown and maintained for only a limited ...

Medicine

Establishment of a Primary Culture of Patient-derived Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) represent a spectrum of heterogeneous malignancies with a difficult diagnosis, classification, and management. To date, more than 50 histological subtypes of these rare solid tumors have been identified. Thus, due to their extraordinary diversity and low incidence, our understanding of the biology of these tumors is still limited. Patient-derived cultures represent the ideal platform to study STS pathophysiology and pharmacology. We thus developed a human preclinical model of STS starting from tumor specimens harvested from patients undergoing surgical resection. Patient-derived STS cell cultures were obtained from the surgical specimens by collagenase digestion and isolated by filtration. Cells were counted, seeded, and left for 14 days in standard monolayer cultures and then processed by downstream analysis. Before performing molecular or pharmaceutical analyses, the establishment of STS primary cultures was confirmed through the evaluation of cytomorphologic features and, when available, immunohistochemical markers. This method represents a useful tool 1) to study the natural history of these poorly explored malignancies and 2) to test the effects of different drugs in an effort to learn more about their mechanisms of action.

The following protocol focuses on the establishment of a primary culture of patient-derived soft tissue sarcoma (STS). This model could help us to better understand the molecular background and pharmacological profile of these rare malignancies and could represent a starting point for further research aimed at improving STS management.

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) represent a spectrum of heterogeneous malignancies with a difficult diagnosis, classification, and management. To date, more ...

Cancer Research

Isolation and Characterization of Tumor-initiating Cells from Sarcoma Patient-derived Xenografts

The existence and importance of tumor-initiating cells (TICs) have been supported by increasing evidence during the past decade. These TICs have been shown to be responsible for tumor initiation, metastasis, and drug resistance. Therefore, it is important to develop specific TIC-targeting therapy in addition to current chemotherapy strategies, which mostly focus on the bulk of non-TICs. In order to further understand the mechanism behind the malignancy of TICs, we describe a method to isolate and to characterize TICs in human sarcomas. Herein, we show a detailed protocol to generate patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) of human sarcomas and to isolate TICs by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) using human leukocyte antigen class I (HLA-1) as a negative marker. Also, we describe how to functionally characterize these TICs, including a sphere formation assay and a tumor formation assay, and to induce differentiation along mesenchymal pathways. The isolation and characterization of PDX TICs provide clues for the discovery of potential targeting therapy reagents. Moreover, increasing evidence suggests that this protocol may be further extended to isolate and characterize TICs from other types of human cancers.

We describe a detailed protocol for the isolation of tumor-initiating cells from human sarcoma patient-derived xenografts by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, using human leukocyte antigen-1 (HLA-1) as a negative marker, and for the further validation and characterization of these HLA-1-negative tumor-initiating cells.

The existence and importance of tumor-initiating cells (TICs) have been supported by increasing evidence during the past decade. These TICs have been ...

Evaluation of Biomarkers in Glioma by Immunohistochemistry on Paraffin-Embedded 3D Glioma Neurosphere Cultures

Analysis of protein expression in glioma is relevant for several aspects in the study of its pathology. Numerous proteins have been described as biomarkers with applications in diagnosis, prognosis, classification, state of tumor progression, and cell differentiation state. These analyses of biomarkers are also useful to characterize tumor neurospheres (NS) generated from glioma patients and glioma models. Tumor NS provide a valuable in vitro model to assess different features of the tumor from which they are derived and can more accurately mirror glioma biology. Here we describe a detailed method to analyze biomarkers in tumor NS using immunohistochemistry (IHC) on paraffin-embedded tumor NS.

Neurospheres grown as 3D cultures constitute a powerful tool to study glioma biology. Here we present a protocol to perform immunohistochemistry while maintaining the 3D structure of glioma neurospheres through paraffin embedding. This method enables the characterization of glioma neurosphere properties such as stemness and neural differentiation.

Analysis of protein expression in glioma is relevant for several aspects in the study of its pathology. Numerous proteins have been described as ...

Obtaining Cancer Stem Cell Spheres from Gynecological and Breast Cancer Tumors

Cancer stem cells (CSC) are a small population with self-renewal and plasticity which are responsible for tumorigenesis, resistance to treatment and recurrent disease. This population can be identified by surface markers, enzymatic activity and a functional profile. These approaches per se are limited, due to phenotypic heterogeneity and CSC plasticity. Here, we update the sphere-forming protocol to obtain CSC spheres from breast and gynecological cancers, assessing functional properties, CSC markers and protein expression. The spheres are obtained with single-cell seeding at low density in suspension culture, using a semi-solid methylcellulose medium to avoid migration and aggregates. This profitable protocol can be used in cancer cell lines but also in primary tumors. The tridimensional non-adherent suspension culture thought to mimic the tumor microenvironment, particularly the CSC-niche, is supplemented with epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor to ensure CSC signaling. Aiming for robust identification of CSC, we propose a complementary approach, combining functional and phenotypic evaluation. Sphere-forming capacity, self-renewal and sphere projection area establish CSC functional properties. Additionally, characterization comprises flow cytometry evaluation of the markers, represented by CD44+/CD24- and CD133, and Western blot, considering ALDH. The presented protocol was also optimized for primary tumor samples, following a sample digestion procedure, useful for translational research.

The aim of this methodology is to identify cancer stem cells (CSC) in cancer cell lines and primary human tumor samples with the sphere-forming protocol, in a robust manner, using functional assays and phenotypic characterization with flow cytometry and Western blot.

Cancer stem cells (CSC) are a small population with self-renewal and plasticity which are responsible for tumorigenesis, resistance to treatment and ...

Isolation and Expansion of Human Glioblastoma Multiforme Tumor Cells Using the Neurosphere Assay

Stem-like cells have been isolated in tumors such as breast, lung, colon, prostate and brain. A critical issue in all these tumors, especially in glioblastoma mutliforme (GBM), is to identify and isolate tumor initiating cell population(s) to investigate their role in tumor formation, progression, and recurrence. Understanding tumor initiating cell populations will provide clues to finding effective therapeutic approaches for these tumors. The neurosphere assay (NSA) due to its simplicity and reproducibility has been used as the method of choice for isolation and propagation of many of this tumor cells. This protocol demonstrates the neurosphere culture method to isolate and expand stem-like cells in surgically resected human GBM tumor tissue. The procedures include an initial chemical digestion and mechanical dissociation of tumor tissue, and subsequently plating the resulting single cell suspension in NSA culture. After 7-10 days, primary neurospheres of 150-200 &mu;m in diameter can be observed and are ready for further passaging and expansion.

This video protocol demonstrates the isolation and expansion of stem like cells from surgically resected human glioblastoma mutliforme (GBM) tumor tissue using the neurosphere assay culture method.

Stem-like cells have been isolated in tumors such as breast, lung, colon, prostate and brain. A critical issue in all these tumors, especially in ...

Establishing 3-Dimensional Spheroids from Patient-Derived Tumor Samples and Evaluating their Sensitivity to Drugs

Despite remarkable advances in understanding tumor biology, the vast majority of oncology drug candidates entering clinical trials fail, often due to a lack of clinical efficacy. This high failure rate illuminates the inability of the current preclinical models to predict clinical efficacy, mainly due to their inadequacy in reflecting tumor heterogeneity and the tumor microenvironment. These limitations can be addressed with 3-dimensional (3D) culture models (spheroids) established from human tumor samples derived from individual patients. These 3D cultures represent real-world biology better than established cell lines that do not reflect tumor heterogeneity. Furthermore, 3D cultures are better than 2-dimensional (2D) culture models (monolayer structures) since they replicate elements of the tumor environment, such as hypoxia, necrosis, and cell adhesion, and preserve the natural cell shape and growth. In the present study, a method was developed for preparing primary cultures of cancer cells from individual patients that are 3D and grow in multicellular spheroids. The cells can be derived directly from patient tumors or patient-derived xenografts. The method is widely applicable to solid tumors (e.g., colon, breast, and lung) and is also cost-effective, as it can be performed in its entirety in a typical cancer research/cell biology lab without relying on specialized equipment. Herein, a protocol is presented for generating 3D tumor culture models (multicellular spheroids) from primary cancer cells and evaluating their sensitivity to drugs using two complementary approaches: a cell-viability assay (MTT) and microscopic examinations. These multicellular spheroids can be used to assess potential drug candidates, identify potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets, and investigate the mechanisms of response and resistance.

The present protocol describes generating 3D tumor culture models from primary cancer cells and evaluating their sensitivity to drugs using cell-viability assays and microscopic examinations.

Despite remarkable advances in understanding tumor biology, the vast majority of oncology drug candidates entering clinical trials fail, often due to a ...

Magnetic Resonance-Guided High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Generated Hyperthermia: A Feasible Treatment Method in a Murine Rhabdomyosarcoma Model

Magnetic resonance-guided high intensity focused ultrasound (MRgHIFU) is an established method for producing localized hyperthermia. Given the real-time imaging and acoustic energy modulation, this modality enables precise temperature control within a defined area. Many thermal applications are being explored with this noninvasive, nonionizing technology, such as hyperthermia generation, to release drugs from thermosensitive liposomal carriers. These drugs can include chemotherapies such as doxorubicin, for which targeted release is desired due to the dose-limiting systemic side effects, namely cardiotoxicity. Doxorubicin is a mainstay for treating a variety of malignant tumors and is commonly used in relapsed or recurrent rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). RMS is the most common solid soft tissue extracranial tumor in children and young adults. Despite aggressive, multimodal therapy, RMS survival rates have remained the same for the past 30 years. To explore a solution for addressing this unmet need, an experimental protocol was developed to evaluate the release of thermosensitive liposomal doxorubicin (TLD) in an immunocompetent, syngeneic RMS mouse model using MRgHIFU as the source of hyperthermia for drug release.

Presented here is a protocol to use controlled hyperthermia, generated by magnetic resonance-guided high intensity focused ultrasound, to trigger drug release from temperature-sensitive liposomes in a rhabdomyosarcoma mouse model.

Magnetic resonance-guided high intensity focused ultrasound (MRgHIFU) is an established method for producing localized hyperthermia. Given the real-time ...

Establishment of Orthotopic Patient-derived Xenograft Models for Brain Tumors using a Stereotaxic Device

The development of clinically relevant and reliable models for central nervous system (CNS) tumors has been pivotal in advancing the field of neuro-oncology. One of the most widely used techniques is the orthotopic intracranial injection, a method that allows investigating of tumor growth, invasion, and dissemination within a controlled setting. This technique involves transplanting tumor cells from a specific patient region into the corresponding anatomical site in an animal. By doing so, these orthotopic brain tumor models offer a unique advantage, as they more accurately replicate cancer's biological behavior and its interactions with the brain environment seen in human patients. This makes them especially valuable for preclinical therapeutic testing, where a close resemblance to the clinical scenario is essential for evaluating potential treatments. This protocol shares experiences in developing patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models for pediatric brain tumors, including diffuse midline glioma (DMG), glioblastoma (GBM), medulloblastoma, and ependymoma. This method delineates the procedure for conducting intracranial stereotaxic injections in mice, ensuring the correct targeting of the injection site within the brain. Additionally, we describe the post-procedural monitoring system employed to detect signs of successful tumor engraftment. Following tumor injection, a rigorous monitoring system is implemented to observe the animals for any signs of neurological impairment, behavioral changes, and/or weight loss, which are common indicators of tumor progression. This system allows for timely intervention and provides critical data regarding the tumor's growth dynamics. By refining these models and protocols, we aim to enhance the reliability and translational potential of preclinical studies, contributing to the development of more effective treatments for pediatric CNS tumors.

The development of orthotopic pediatric brain tumor models requires meticulous precision, using a stereotaxic device to implant cancer cells precisely. The methodology presented here outlines the steps involved in preparing brain tumor cells, performing intracranial injections, and implementing a post-operative monitoring system to assess brain tumor engraftment.

Tumorsphere Derivation and Treatment from Primary Tumor Cells Isolated from Mouse Rhabdomyosarcomas

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