Implementation of Minimally Invasive Brain Tumor Resection in Rodents for High Viability Tissue Collection

Summary

The present protocol describes a standardized resection of brain tumors in rodents through a minimally invasive approach with an integrated tissue preservation system. This technique has implications for accurately mirroring the standard of care in rodent and other animal models.

Abstract

The present protocol describes a standardized paradigm for rodent brain tumor resection and tissue preservation. In clinical practice, maximal tumor resection is the standard-of-care treatment for most brain tumors. However, most currently available preclinical brain tumor models either do not include resection, or utilize surgical resection models that are time-consuming and lead to significant postoperative morbidity, mortality, or experimental variability. In addition, performing resection in rodents can be daunting for several reasons, including a lack of clinically comparable surgical tools or protocols and the absence of an established platform for standardized tissue collection. This protocol highlights the use of a multi-functional, non-ablative resection device and an integrated tissue preservation system adapted from the clinical version of the device. The device applied in the present study combines tunable suction and a cylindrical blade at the aperture to precisely probe, cut, and suction tissue. The minimally invasive resection device performs its functions via the same burr hole used for the initial tumor implantation. This approach minimizes alterations to regional anatomy during biopsy or resection surgeries and reduces the risk of significant blood loss. These factors significantly reduced the operative time (<2 min/animal), improved postoperative animal survival, lower variability in experimental groups, and result in high viability of resected tissues and cells for future analyses. This process is facilitated by a blade speed of ~1,400 cycles/min, which allows the harvesting of tissues into a sterile closed system that can be filled with a physiologic solution of choice. Given the emerging importance of studying and accurately modeling the impact of surgery, preservation and rigorous comparative analysis of regionalized tumor resection specimens, and intra-cavity-delivered therapeutics, this unique protocol will expand opportunities to explore unanswered questions about perioperative management and therapeutic discovery for brain tumor patients.

Introduction

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults. Despite recent advances in neurosurgery, targeted drug development, and radiation therapy, the 5-year survival rate for GBM patients is less than 5%, a statistic that has not significantly improved in over three decades¹. Hence, there is a need for more effective treatment strategies.

To develop new therapies, it is becoming increasingly apparent that investigational protocols need to (1) utilize translatable preclinical models that accurately recapitulate the tumor heterogeneity and microenvironment, (2) mirror the standard therapeut....

Protocol

All animal studies were approved by the University of Maryland and the Johns Hopkins University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. C57BL/6 female mice, 6-8 weeks of age, were used for the present study. The mice were obtained from commercial sources (see Table of Materials). All Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) regulations were followed, including the usage of masks, gloves, and gowns.

1. Initial intracranial tumor implantation

1. At the initial phase of the study, intracranially inject each mouse with 100,000 cells (GL261 murine glioma cell line) suspended in 4 µL of phosphate-buffered sal....

Results

Surgical resection using the MIRS results in a significant decrease in the tumor burden
In the group with a smaller tumor burden, the mean baseline bioluminescent signal was 5.5e+006 photons/s ± 0.2e+006 in the subgroup that underwent resection. Following resection, the mean bioluminescent signal decreased to 3.09e+006 photons/s ± 0.3e+006, (p <0.0001, Mann-Whitney test)⁹ (Figure 2). The bioluminescen.......

Discussion

Tumor resection is a cornerstone of neurosurgical oncology treatment plans for both low-grade and high-grade brain tumors. Cytoreduction and debulking of the tumor correlate with improved neurological function and overall survival in patients with brain tumors^1,2,5,6. Although protocols for surgical resection have been previously described in rodent models, these protocols have suffered from se.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
1 mL syringes	BD	309628
15 mL conical tubes	Corning	430052
200 proof ethanol	PharmCo	111000200
5 mL pipettes	CoStar	4487
70 micron filter	Fisher	08-771-2
Accutase	Millipore Sigma	SIG-SCR005
Anased (Xylazine injection, 100 mg/mL)	Covetrus	33198
Anesthesia System	Patterson Scientific	78935903
Anesthesic Gas Waste Container	Patterson Scientific	78909457
Bench protector underpad	Covidien	10328
C57Bl/6, 6-8 week old mice	Charles River Laboratories	Strain Code 027
ChroMini Pro	Moser	Type 1591-Q
Collagenase-Dispase	Roche	#10269638001
Countess II Automated Cell Counter	Thermo Fisher
Countess II FL Hemacytometer	Thermo Fisher	A25750
Debris Removal Solution	Miltenyi Biotech	#130-109-398
D-Luciferin	Goldbio	LUCK-1G
DMEM F12 media	Corning	10-090-CV
DMEM media	Corning	10-013-CV
DNAse I	Sigma Aldrich	#10104159001
Eppendorf tubes	Posi-Click	1149K01
Euthanasia solution	Henry Schein	71073
FBS	Millipore Sigma	F4135
Fetal Bovine Serum	Thermo Fisher	10437-028
Formalin	Invitrogen	INV-28906
Gauze	Henry Schein	101-4336
hEGF	PeproTech EC	100-15
Heparin	Sigma	H-3149
hFGF-b	PeproTech EC	1001-18B
Induction Chamber	Patterson Scientific	78933388
Isoflurane	Covetrus	11695-6777-2
Isoflurane Vaporizer	Patterson Scientific	78916954
Ketamine	Covetrus	11695-0703-1
Kopf Stereotactic frame	Kopf Instruments	5001
Lightfield Microscope	BioTek	Cytation 5
Microinjection Unit	Kopf	5001
Micromotor drill	Foredom	F210418
MRI system	Bruker	7T Biospec Avance III MRI Scanner
NICO Myriad System	NICO Corporation
Ophthalmic ointment	Puralube vet ointment
Papain	Sigma Aldrich	#P4762
PBS	Invitrogen	#14190250
PenStrep	Millipore Sigma	N1638
Percoll solution	Sigma Aldrich	#P4937
Pipette controller	Falcon	A07260
Povidone-iodine solution	Aplicare	52380-1905-08
Progesterone	Sigma	P-8783
Putrescine	Sigma	P-5780
RPMI Media	Invitrogen	INV-72400120
Scalpel blade	Covetrus	7319
Scalpel handle	Fine Science Tools	91003-12
Skin marker	Time Out	D538,851
Staple remover	MikRon	ACR9MM
Stapler	MikRon	ACA9MM
Staples	Clay Adams	427631
Stereotactic Frame	Kopf Instruments	5000
Sucrose	Sigma Aldrich	S9378
Suture, vicryl 4-0	Ethicon	J494H
T-75 culture flask	Sarstedt	83-3911-002
TheraPEAKTM ACK Lysing Buffer (1x)	Lonza	BP10-548E
Trypsin-EDTA	Corning	MDT-25-053-CI