The authors would like to thank the MSKCC Tissue Procurement Service Team (TPS), specifically, Maria Corazon Mariano, Priscilla McNeil, Anas Idelbi, Daniel Navarrete and Katrina Allen, in all of their efforts in the successful pursuit of this project and funding from the following sources: 5 R21 CA158609-02 and the Conquer Cancer Foundation and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. In addition, the authors would like to thank Eric Cottington PhD, Vice President of the Office of Research and Project Administration, the Office of Technology Development, Research Outreach and Compliance and RTM Information Systems Support, in the support of the submission of this manuscript.

NOTE: Patient tissue procurement was authorized through institutionally review board (IRB)-approved Biospecimen and Clinical Protocols (Protocol numbers 09-121 and 11-041, respectively) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
1. Tissue Procurement
<ol>
	<li>Procurement of patient primary tumor/metastasis 
	NOTE: To date, this protocol has been performed on surgically removed pancreatic, gastric and breast tumor types, as well as, lymphoma metastases.
	<ol>
		<li>Direct the Surgical team to deliver the specimen by courier or pneumatic tube system to&#160;the Pathology department in tightly sealed and sterile leak-proof plastic specimen bag within&#160;sterile&#160;spill-proof container. Direct the Surgical team to transport the&#160;specimen&#160;in the fresh state with no formalin or fixative.</li>
		<li>Direct the pathologist or pathologist assistant to harvest the fresh specimen using&#160;sterile&#160;technique, which includes use of sterile gloves and instruments under a laminar flow hood.</li>
		<li>Record the harvesting time of the procured specimen, which is kept rigorously under 30 min from the completion of the surgical procedure. Taking into consideration effects of cold ischemia, do not take samples from resected specimens with a cold ischemic time of &#62; 30 min18.</li>
		<li>Direct the Pathology Department personnel to remove a primary tumor specimen of approximately 0.5 cm3 to 1.0 cm3 in a laminar flow hood to maintain a sterile environment. When possible, choose tumor tissue from the periphery of the index lesion to avoid potential frank central necrosis (cell death). 
		NOTE: The necrotic tissue may be grossly recognizable by any of the following criteria: loss of color or paleness of the tissue; loss of strength in which necrotic tissue is soft and friable; a distinct demarcation between the necrotic and viable tissue.</li>
		<li>Direct the pathologist or pathologist assistant to provide peripheral tissue that is in excess (surgical discard) after immediate sampling of the tumor for diagnostic evaluation. Place the specimen in a 15 ml sterile conical centrifuge tube containing approximately 5 ml of minimum essential media (MEM) containing 1% antibiotics (penicillin and streptomycin).</li>
		<li>If available (e.g., lymph node of axillary tail of mastectomy specimen), procure a grossly positive associated lymph node specimen of the same size (0.5 cm3 to 1.0 cm3) and compare to drug response of primary tumor. Like the primary tumor specimen, place the associated lymph node specimen in a 15 ml sterile conical centrifuge tube containing approximately 5 ml of minimum essential media (MEM) containing 1% antibiotics (penicillin and streptomycin).</li>
		<li>If size of surgical specimen permits (e.g., mastectomy specimen), remove (distant from primary tumor) a sample of normal tissue (i.e., normal dense/fibrous breast parenchyma) and place in a 15 ml sterile conical centrifuge tube containing approximately 5 ml of minimum essential media (MEM) containing 1% antibiotics for transfer purposes only. Following transfer to the laboratory facilities, transfer the &#8216;normal&#8217; specimen to a cryovial, &#8216;snap&#8217; freeze and store in a -80 &#176;C freezer for future molecular analyses.</li>
		<li>Place all specimens on wet ice and immediately transport to the laboratory space for ex vivo fresh tissue sectioning. Do not section the normal specimen but rather store in a -80 &#176;C freezer for future molecular analyses. Transfer a portion of the primary tumor and associated metastasis to a cryovial, &#8216;snap&#8217; freeze and store in a -80 &#176;C freezer for future molecular analyses.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Procurement of tissue from clinical studies (e.g., optional core needle biopsies (CNB)) 
	NOTE: We obtain tumor tissues from patients enrolled on clinical protocols who give their consent to undergo a CNB of an accessible tumor metastasis prior to the start of therapy. CNBs, to date, have been performed on patients with breast, marginal zone lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, metastatic paraganglioma, cervix (squamous cell) and ovarian cancers.
	<ol>
		<li>Have clinical personnel from Interventional Radiology or relevant department perform a pre-treatment core needle biopsy and place the specimen in a 15 ml sterile conical centrifuge tube containing approximately 5 ml of minimum essential media (MEM) containing 1% antibiotics (penicillin and streptomycin).</li>
		<li>Place the biopsy specimen on wet ice and immediately transport to the laboratory space for ex vivo fresh tissue sectioning.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>
2. Preparation of Materials for Sectioning and Vibratome Settings
<ol>
	<li>Preparation of Materials for Sectioning
	<ol>
		<li>Make a 4% agarose solution by adding 4 g of agarose to 100 ml of PBS. Autoclave (cycle settings: liquid, 121 &#176;C, 30 min, 15 pounds per square inch) the solution before first use. For subsequent uses, place the 4% agarose in a microwave to liquefy (High heat for 30 sec intervals) prior to each use and cool appropriately to ~ 25 &#176;C (i.e., warm to touch) mindful that agarose solidifies at RT.</li>
		<li>Use the 4% agarose as a non-permanent tissue embedding media. When the 4% agarose has cooled sufficiently and is still in a liquid state, with sterile forceps place the tissue specimen in an embedding mold and pour in the 4% agarose.</li>
		<li>Position the tissue specimen close (~ 2 mm distance) but not directly on the cutting surface wall of the embedding mold. The 4% agarose will begin to solidify quickly, therefore appropriately position the tissue specimen quickly. During sectioning, keep the 4% agarose in a 55 &#176;C water bath to keep in solution.</li>
		<li>To a 24-well plate for section analysis, add 1 ml of complete media (i.e., MEM + 10% fetal bovine serum + 1% antibiotics) to each well. Keep the 24-well plate at RT (~25 &#176;C) throughout the duration of sectioning.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Preparation of Vibratome Settings
	<ol>
		<li>Using the vibrating microtome, set the speed at which the blade approaches the specimen [0 (0.00 mm/sec) to 10 (2.5 mm/sec)] and the frequency of the blade [0 (0 Hz) to 10 (100 Hz)]. Adjust the settings according to the texture of the tissue (i.e., density/firmness).</li>
		<li>For a primary breast tumor of invasive ductal carcinoma, adjust settings to 6 and 3, speed and frequency respectively. For less dense/firm tumor tissue, decrease speed and increase frequency accordingly.</li>
		<li>Set the section thickness within the instrument limits (1 &#8211; 999 &#181;m). For these analyses, set the section thickness at 200 &#181;m.</li>
		<li>Mount the agarose-embedded specimen using a thin layer of liquid adhesive on the specimen disc that is submersed in a reservoir of media that is encased in wet ice.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>
3. Tissue Sectioning, Treatment &#38; Analyses
<ol>
	<li>Remove the precision-sliced sections immediately upon sectioning using sterile forceps and place in a multi-well plate with 1 ml of complete media. When sufficient sections are acquired for response and correlative analyses, place the multi-well plate for treatment response in a tissue culture incubator set at standard tissue culturing conditions.</li>
	<li>Take multiple control sections that bookend the treated sections in an effort to confirm dose-dependent response as opposed to cultured artifacts. Perform tissue sectioning rapidly (~30 &#8211; 40 min), well within any detrimental effects of cold ischemic time (~2 &#8211; 4 hr)18. Perform treatment of sections only following a 1 hr acclimation period.</li>
	<li>Following the 1 hr acclimation period, add increasing doses (therapeutically relevant; e.g., 0 &#8211; 10 &#956;M concentrations) of drug to the sections and house under standard tissue culture conditions for the treatment period. For this study, use 24 and/or 48 hr assessment periods. However, control (vehicle only) tissue sections will remain viable, as tested in this study, for periods up to and including 96 hr assessment periods.</li>
	<li>Following treatment, remove all sections under sterile conditions and formalin-fix by placing the tissue section in a tube containing either 10% buffered formalin and place at RT O/N or in a tube containing 4% paraformaldehyde (dilute 16% paraformaldehyde from a vial with PBS for a final concentration of 4%) and place at RT for 2 hr.
	<ol>
		<li>Fix larger tissue sections (e.g., ~6 mm x 4 mm) 200 &#956;m thick in 10% buffered formalin O/N at RT. Fix smaller sections (e.g., 1 mm x 1 mm) 200 &#956;m thick in 4% paraformaldehyde for 2 hr at RT. 
		NOTE: For efficient penetration of fixative the volume of fixative should be 20x the volume of tissue. Given that this protocol results in extremely small tissue sizes (e.g., 6 mm3 tissue = 6 &#956;l volume), for assurance of proper fixation use 1 ml of fixative for all tissue sizes.</li>
		<li>Following fixation have the tissue specimens paraffin embedded by the Pathology Department personnel. Section specimen paraffin blocks onto charged slides to be hematoxylin and eosin stained and assessed immunohistochemically (e.g., apoptosis).</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>

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No conflicts of interest disclosed.

Cancer biologists face significant challenges when attempting to develop efficacious therapeutic strategies. Testing drugs in development on established cancer cell lines cannot accurately reflect in vivo response and in vivo experiments on PDX models are labor intensive and very expensive. Given the above, the application of ex vivo techniques of primary patient tumors14, 15 is now positioned beside the molecular analysis of established cancer cell lines and patient-derived xenograf...

Developing efficacious cancer therapeutics has proven to be extremely challenging. Cancer cell lines and tumor explants - as well as xenografts have been used in cancer research for over half a century1,2,3. To date, the molecular analysis of drug sensitivity and resistance in both established cancer cell lines and patient-derived xenografts (PDX) is indispensable. However, testing of compounds in established cancer cell lines is not often predictive of in vivo efficacy, and corresponding in vivo studies in animals, especially in PDX models, is very expensive and time consuming. The limitations of these model systems, namely the inability to inform on the influence of the native microenvironment in tumor progression and response to therapeutic strategies, has led the research field to develop additional methods to compliment these analyses. Of recent, heightened attention is being paid towards ex vivo analysis of patient tumor explants 4, 5 due to the greater understanding that cancer therapeutic response is not exclusive to the inherent molecular composition of cancer cells but rather is greatly influenced by the tumor cell microenvironment 6, 7 a feature that cannot be recapitulated by traditional culturing methods and/or PDX. Ex vivo analysis in the above context (i.e., influence of adjacent surrounding tumor cell microenvironment) implies assessment of viable primary tumor/metastasis sections, rather than ex vivo analysis of cellular isolates 8, 9.
We report here on an ex vivo technique (i.e., precision-sliced fresh tissue sections) of both patient primary tumors and associated metastases (i.e., lymph nodes) that faithfully informs on response (IC50), off-target effects and allows for molecular analysis of resistance and feedback mechanisms. Additionally, a correlative analysis of therapeutic sensitivity/resistance versus biomarker and gene expression profile can be performed in an effort to identify patients more likely to respond to the experimental drug of interest (i.e., high drug response matches patient with particular biological profile). Application of the ex vivo technique and assessment in a multi-parameter fashion is movement towards patient selection and overall improvement of clinical outcomes.
Ex vivo treatment response analysis could become a standard tool in the preclinical and clinical development of cancer therapeutics and is envisioned as a step towards a personalized medicine approach in therapeutic development strategies.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="598">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Name of Material/ Equipment</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Company</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">Catalog Number</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Comments/Description</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Vibratome Leica VT1000s</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Leica</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">14047235613</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">UltraPure agarose</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">16500500</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Prepare 4% and 6% before use</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Injector blade</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Ted Pella</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">121-4</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:216px;">MEM with Penicillin&#160; + Streptomycin</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Media Core Facilities (MSKCC)</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td style="width:167px;">The media is prepared at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Scalpel no. 10</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">31-200-32</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Disposable forceps</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Cole-Parmer</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">84011182</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:216px;">Embedding mold</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Electron Microscopy Science</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">70181</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">FBS (heat inactivated)</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Gemini</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">100106</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">24 well plates</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Corning</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">3524</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Formalin (10%)</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Sigma Diagnostics</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">SDHT501128&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">16% Formaldehyde solution</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">28908</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Embedding microsettes</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Simport</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">M503-2</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Ethanol (70%)</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">A405P-4</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Waterbath</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">15-462-2SQ</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Microwave</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">General Electric</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">ModelJES2051DNBB</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Adhesive (Ethyl Cyanoacrylate)</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">E1505-5G</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">10mm dishes</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">BD Falcon</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">353003</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:216px;">15ml tubes</td>
			<td style="width:96px;">BD Falcon</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">352096</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

ex vivo treatment response of primary tumors and/or associated metastases for preclinical and clinical development of therapeutics

The molecular analysis of established cancer cell lines has been the mainstay of cancer research for the past several decades. Cell culture provides both direct and rapid analysis of therapeutic sensitivity and resistance. However, recent evidence suggests that therapeutic response is not exclusive to the inherent molecular composition of cancer cells but rather is greatly influenced by the tumor cell microenvironment, a feature that cannot be recapitulated by traditional culturing methods. Even implementation of tumor xenografts, though providing a wealth of information on drug delivery/efficacy, cannot capture the tumor cell/microenvironment crosstalk (i.e., soluble factors) that occurs within human tumors and greatly impacts tumor response. To this extent, we have developed an ex vivo (fresh tissue sectioning) technique which allows for the direct assessment of treatment response for preclinical and clinical therapeutics development. This technique maintains tissue integrity and cellular architecture within the tumor cell/microenvironment context throughout treatment response providing a more precise means to assess drug efficacy.

For this study, the ex vivo technique was used in a correlative analysis of therapeutic sensitivity/resistance of a heat shock protein 90 inhibitor (Hsp90i). In a preclinical assessment of this Hsp90i, the breast cancer primary tumor, an ER+ invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), and associated lymph node metastasis were analyzed ex vivo for treatment response&#160;(Figure 1). Multiple 200 &#956;m serial sections were treated with vehicle only and increasing doses (0.25, 0.50...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Ex Vivo Treatment Response of Primary Tumors and/or Associated Metastases for Preclinical and Clinical Development of Therapeutics at JoVE.com

Ex Vivo Treatment Response of Primary Tumors and/or Associated Metastases for Preclinical and Clinical Development of Therapeutics

Established cancer cell lines and xenografts have been the mainstay of cancer research for the past several decades. However, recent evidence suggests that therapeutic response is greatly influenced by the tumor cell microenvironment. Therefore, we have developed an ex vivo analysis of primary tumor specimens for drug development purposes.

Ex Vivo Treatment Response of Primary Tumors and/or Associated Metastases for Preclinical and Clinical Development of Therapeutics

The molecular analysis of established cancer cell lines has been the mainstay of cancer research for the past several decades. Cell culture provides both ...

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JoVE Journal

Medicine

14.6K Views.  Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Established cancer cell lines and xenografts have been the mainstay of cancer research for the past several decades. However, recent evidence suggests that therapeutic response is greatly influenced by the tumor cell microenvironment. Therefore, we have developed an ex vivo analysis of primary tumor specimens for drug development purposes.

Video: Ex Vivo Treatment Response of Primary Tumors and/or Associated Metastases for Preclinical and Clinical Development of Therapeutics

Thermal Ablation for the Treatment of Abdominal Tumors

Percutaneous thermal ablation is an emerging treatment option for many tumors of the abdomen not amenable to conventional treatments. During a thermal ablation procedure, a thin applicator is guided into the target tumor under imaging guidance. Energy is then applied to the tissue until temperatures rise to cytotoxic levels (50-60 &deg;C). Various energy sources are available to heat biological tissues, including radiofrequency (RF) electrical current, microwaves, laser light and ultrasonic waves. Of these, RF and microwave ablation are most commonly used worldwide.
During RF ablation, alternating electrical current (~500 kHz) produces resistive heating around the interstitial electrode. Skin surface electrodes (ground pads) are used to complete the electrical circuit. RF ablation has been in use for nearly 20 years, with good results for local tumor control, extended survival and low complication rates1,2. Recent studies suggest RF ablation may be a first-line treatment option for small hepatocellular carcinoma and renal-cell carcinoma3-5. However, RF heating is hampered by local blood flow and high electrical impedance tissues (eg, lung, bone, desiccated or charred tissue)6,7. Microwaves may alleviate some of these problems by producing faster, volumetric heating8-10. To create larger or conformal ablations, multiple microwave antennas can be used simultaneously while RF electrodes require sequential operation, which limits their efficiency. Early experiences with microwave systems suggest efficacy and safety similar to, or better than RF devices11-13.
Alternatively, cryoablation freezes the target tissues to lethal levels (-20 to -40 &deg;C). Percutaneous cryoablation has been shown to be effective against RCC and many metastatic tumors, particularly colorectal cancer, in the liver14-16. Cryoablation may also be associated with less post-procedure pain and faster recovery for some indications17. Cryoablation is often contraindicated for primary liver cancer due to underlying coagulopathy and associated bleeding risks frequently seen in cirrhotic patients. In addition, sudden release of tumor cellular contents when the frozen tissue thaws can lead to a potentially serious condition known as cryoshock 16.
Thermal tumor ablation can be performed at open surgery, laparoscopy or using a percutaneous approach. When performed percutaneously, the ablation procedure relies on imaging for diagnosis, planning, applicator guidance, treatment monitoring and follow-up. Ultrasound is the most popular modality for guidance and treatment monitoring worldwide, but computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are commonly used as well. Contrast-enhanced CT or MRI are typically employed for diagnosis and follow-up imaging.

A thermal tumor ablation procedure is described. The entire procedure is detailed, including pretreatment planning and imaging studies, anesthesia, adjuvant techniques to facilitate a percutaneous approach, imaging guidance of the ablation device to the tumor, thermal treatment, post-treatment care and follow-up.

Percutaneous thermal ablation is an emerging treatment option for many tumors of the abdomen not amenable to conventional treatments. During a thermal ...

Monitoring Tumor Metastases and Osteolytic Lesions with Bioluminescence and Micro CT Imaging

Following intracardiac delivery of MDA-MB-231-luc-D3H2LN cells to Nu/Nu mice, systemic metastases developed in the injected animals. Bioluminescence imaging using IVIS Spectrum was employed to monitor the distribution and development of the tumor cells following the delivery procedure including DLIT reconstruction to measure the tumor signal and its location.
Development of metastatic lesions to the bone tissues triggers osteolytic activity and lesions to tibia and femur were evaluated longitudinally using micro CT. Imaging was performed using a Quantum FX micro CT system with fast imaging and low X-ray dose. The low radiation dose allows multiple imaging sessions to be performed with a cumulative X-ray dosage far below LD50. A mouse imaging shuttle device was used to sequentially image the mice with both IVIS Spectrum and Quantum FX achieving accurate animal positioning in both the bioluminescence and CT images. The optical and CT data sets were co-registered in 3-dimentions using the Living Image 4.1 software. This multi-mode approach allows close monitoring of tumor growth and development simultaneously with osteolytic activity.

An experimental mouse model of bone metastasis was established following intracardiac delivery of luciferase expressing mammary tumor cells. Tumor development and resulted osteolytic lesion were monitored longitudinally with bioluminescence and micro CT imaging.

Following intracardiac delivery of MDA-MB-231-luc-D3H2LN cells to Nu/Nu mice, systemic metastases developed in the injected animals. Bioluminescence ...

A Novel High-resolution In vivo Imaging Technique to Study the Dynamic Response of Intracranial Structures to Tumor Growth and Therapeutics

We have successfully integrated previously established Intracranial window (ICW) technology 1-4 with intravital 2-photon confocal microscopy to develop a novel platform that allows for direct long-term visualization of tissue structure changes intracranially. Imaging at a single cell resolution in a real-time fashion provides supplementary dynamic information beyond that provided by standard end-point histological analysis, which looks solely at 'snap-shot' cross sections of tissue.
Establishing this intravital imaging technique in fluorescent chimeric mice, we are able to image four fluorescent channels simultaneously. By incorporating fluorescently labeled cells, such as GFP+ bone marrow, it is possible to track the fate of these cells studying their long-term migration, integration and differentiation within tissue. Further integration of a secondary reporter cell, such as an mCherry glioma tumor line, allows for characterization of cell:cell interactions. Structural changes in the tissue microenvironment can be highlighted through the addition of intra-vital dyes and antibodies, for example CD31 tagged antibodies and Dextran molecules.
Moreover, we describe the combination of our ICW imaging model with a small animal micro-irradiator that provides stereotactic irradiation, creating a platform through which the dynamic tissue changes that occur following the administration of ionizing irradiation can be assessed.
Current limitations of our model include penetrance of the microscope, which is limited to a depth of up to 900 &mu;m from the sub cortical surface, limiting imaging to the dorsal axis of the brain. The presence of the skull bone makes the ICW a more challenging technical procedure, compared to the more established and utilized chamber models currently used to study mammary tissue and fat pads 5-7. In addition, the ICW provides many challenges when optimizing the imaging.

A Novel High-resolution In vivo Imaging Technique to Study the Dynamic Response of Intracranial Structures to Tumor Growth and Therapeutics

We describe a novel in vivo imaging technique that couples fluorescent chimeric mice with intracranial windows and high-resolution 2-photon microscopy. This imaging platform aids studies of dynamic changes in brain tissue and microvasculature, at a single-cell level, following pathological insults and is adaptable to assess intracranial drug delivery and distribution.

We have successfully integrated previously established Intracranial window (ICW) technology 1-4 with intravital 2-photon confocal microscopy to develop a ...

Adaptation of Semiautomated Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) Assays for Clinical and Preclinical Research Applications

The majority of cancer-related deaths occur subsequent to the development of metastatic disease. This highly lethal disease stage is associated with the presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). These rare cells have been demonstrated to be of clinical significance in metastatic breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. The current gold standard in clinical CTC detection and enumeration is the FDA-cleared CellSearch system (CSS). This manuscript outlines the standard protocol utilized by this platform as well as two&#160;additional adapted protocols that describe the detailed process of user-defined marker optimization for protein characterization of patient CTCs and a comparable protocol for CTC capture in very low volumes of blood, using standard CSS reagents, for studying in vivo preclinical mouse models of metastasis. In addition, differences in CTC quality between healthy donor blood spiked with cells from tissue culture versus patient blood samples are highlighted. Finally, several commonly discrepant items that can lead to CTC misclassification errors are outlined. Taken together, these protocols will provide a useful resource for users of this platform interested in preclinical and clinical research pertaining to metastasis and CTCs.

Adaptation of Semiautomated Circulating Tumor Cell CTC Assays for Clinical and Preclinical Research Applications

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are prognostic in several metastatic cancers. This manuscript describes the gold standard CellSearch system (CSS) CTC enumeration platform and highlights common misclassification errors. In addition, two&#160;adapted protocols are described for user-defined marker characterization of CTCs and CTC enumeration in preclinical mouse models of metastasis using this technology.

The majority of cancer-related deaths occur subsequent to the development of metastatic disease. This highly lethal disease stage is associated with the ...

A Preclinical Murine Model of Hepatic Metastases

Numerous murine models have been developed to study human cancers and advance the understanding of cancer treatment and development. Here, a preclinical, murine pancreatic tumor model of hepatic metastases via a hemispleen injection of syngeneic murine pancreatic tumor cells is described. This model mimics many of the clinical conditions in patients with metastatic disease to the liver. Mice consistently develop metastases in the liver allowing for investigation of the metastatic process, experimental therapy testing, and tumor immunology research.

A preclinical, murine model of hepatic metastases performed via a hemispleen injection technique.

Numerous murine models have been developed to study human cancers and advance the understanding of cancer treatment and development. Here, a preclinical, ...

Isolated Hepatic Perfusion as a Treatment for Liver Metastases of Uveal Melanoma

Isolated hepatic perfusion (IHP) is a procedure where the liver is surgically isolated and perfused with a high concentration of the chemotherapeutic agent melphalan. Briefly, the procedure starts with the setup of a percutaneous veno-venous bypass from the femoral vein to the external jugular vein. Via a laparotomy, catheters are then inserted into the proper hepatic artery and the caval vein. The portal vein and the caval vein, both supra- and infrahepatically, are then clamped. The arterial and venous catheters are connected to a heart lung machine and the liver is perfused with melphalan (1 mg/kg body weight) for 60 min. This way it is possible to locally perfuse the liver with a high dose of a chemotherapeutic agent, without leakage to the systemic circulation.
In previous studies including patients with isolated liver metastases of uveal melanoma, an overall response rate of 33-100% and a median survival between 9 and 13 months, have been reported. The aim of this protocol is to give a clear description of how to perform the procedure and to discuss IHP as a treatment option for liver metastases of uveal melanoma.

Here, we present a protocol how to perform an isolated liver perfusion (IHP) with melphalan and we also discuss IHP as a treatment option for liver metastases of uveal melanoma.

Isolated hepatic perfusion (IHP) is a procedure where the liver is surgically isolated and perfused with a high concentration of the chemotherapeutic ...

Generation of Microtumors Using 3D Human Biogel Culture System and Patient-derived Glioblastoma Cells for Kinomic Profiling and Drug Response Testing

The use of patient-derived xenografts for modeling cancers has provided important insight into cancer biology and drug responsiveness. However, they are time consuming, expensive, and labor intensive. To overcome these obstacles, many research groups have turned to spheroid cultures of cancer cells. While useful, tumor spheroids or aggregates do not replicate cell-matrix interactions as found in vivo. As such, three-dimensional (3D) culture approaches utilizing an extracellular matrix scaffold provide a more realistic model system for investigation. Starting from subcutaneous or intracranial xenografts, tumor tissue is dissociated into a single cell suspension akin to cancer stem cell neurospheres. These cells are then embedded into a human-derived extracellular matrix, 3D human biogel, to generate a large number of microtumors. Interestingly, microtumors can be cultured for about a month with high viability and can be used for drug response testing using standard cytotoxicity assays such as 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and live cell imaging using Calcein-AM. Moreover, they can be analyzed via immunohistochemistry or harvested for molecular profiling, such as array-based high-throughput kinomic profiling, which is detailed here as well. 3D microtumors, thus, represent a versatile high-throughput model system that can more closely replicate in vivo tumor biology than traditional approaches.

Patient-derived xenografts of glioblastoma multiforme can be miniaturized into living microtumors using 3D human biogel culture system. This in vivo-like 3D tumor assay is suitable for drug response testing and molecular profiling, including kinomic analysis.

The use of patient-derived xenografts for modeling cancers has provided important insight into cancer biology and drug responsiveness. However, they are ...

Assessment of Spontaneous Alternation, Novel Object Recognition and Limb Clasping in Transgenic Mouse Models of Amyloid-&#946; and Tau Neuropathology

Here we describe a staged, behavioral testing approach that can be used to screen for compounds that exhibit in vivo efficacy on cognitive and functional motor behaviors in transgenic mouse models of &#946;-amyloidosis and tauopathy. The paradigm includes tests for spontaneous alternation in a Y-maze, novel object recognition, and limb clasping. These tests were selected because they: 1) interrogate function of cognitive or motor domains and the correlate neural circuitry relevant to the human disease state, 2) have clearly defined endpoints, 3) have easily implementable quality control checks, 4) can be run in a moderate throughput format, and 5) require little intervention by the investigator. These methods are designed for investigators looking to screen compounds for activity in short-term and working memory tasks, or functional motor behaviors associated with Alzheimer's disease mouse models. The methods described here use behavioral tests that engage a number of different brain regions including hippocampus and various cortical areas. Investigators that desire cognitive tests that specifically assess cognition mediated by a single brain region could use these techniques to supplement other behavioral tests.

Assessment of Spontaneous Alternation, Novel Object Recognition and Limb Clasping in Transgenic Mouse Models of Amyloid-&amp;#946; and Tau Neuropathology

Described here is a staged, behavioral screening approach that can be used to screen for compounds that exhibit in vivo efficacy on cognitive and functional motor behaviors in transgenic mouse models of &#946;-amyloidosis and tauopathy. These methods are optimized to screen compounds for activity in short-term and working memory tasks.

Here we describe a staged, behavioral testing approach that can be used to screen for compounds that exhibit in vivo efficacy on cognitive and functional ...

Treatment of Liver Metastases Using an Internal Target Volume Method for Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy

The prognosis of patients with metastatic cancers has improved in the past decades due to effective chemotherapy and oligometastatic surgery. For inoperable patients, local ablation therapies, such as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), can provide effective local tumor control with minimal toxicity. Because of its high precision and accuracy, SBRT delivers a higher radiation dose per fraction, is more effective, and targets smaller irradiation volumes than does conventional radiotherapy. In addition, steep dose gradients from target lesions to surrounding normal tissues are achieved using SBRT; thus, SBRT provides more effective tumor control and exhibits fewer side effects than conventional radiotherapy. The use of SBRT is prevalent for treating intracranial lesions (known as stereotactic radiosurgery); however, it is now also used for treating spinal and adrenal metastases. Because of advancements in image-guided assistance and respiratory motion management, several studies have investigated the use of SBRT for treating lung or liver tumors, which move as a patient breathes. The results of these studies have suggested that SBRT favorably controls tumors in the case of moving lesions.
Four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) with an abdominal compressor (AC) is clinically convenient for effective respiratory motion management. Because this method is noninvasive and allows free breathing, its use reduces complications. Furthermore, patients consider this method convenient. Moreover, it is considered more efficient than other methods of respiratory motion management by physicians and therapists. The use of 4D-CT with an AC for treating pulmonary lesions has also been widely investigated, and the technique is gaining acceptance for treating hepatic lesions. However, the protocols for using 4D-CT with an AC for treating hepatic lesions are different from those used for treating pulmonary lesions. In this article, we describe a new protocol for SBRT with 4D-CT and an AC for treating liver metastases.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) requires rigorous accuracy and precision for delivering high radiation doses per fraction to small treatment volumes to improve tumor control and simultaneously reduce toxicity. Herein, we present a noninvasive and clinically convenient respiratory motion management protocol for SBRT for liver metastases.

The prognosis of patients with metastatic cancers has improved in the past decades due to effective chemotherapy and oligometastatic surgery. For ...

Contractions of Human-iPSC-derived Cardiomyocyte Syncytia Measured with a Ca-sensitive Fluorescent Dye in Temperature-controlled 384-well Plates

Spontaneously contracting syncytia of cardiomyocytes derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CM) are a useful model of human cardiac physiology and pharmacology. Various methods have been proposed to record this spontaneous activity and to evaluate drug effects, but many of these methods suffer from limited throughput and/or physiological relevance. We developed a high-throughput screening system to quantify the effects of exogenous compounds on hiPSC-CM's beating frequency, using a Ca-sensitive fluorescent dye and a temperature-controlled imaging multi-well plate reader. We describe how to prepare the cell plates and the compound plates and how to run the automated assay to achieve high sensitivity and reproducibility. We also describe how to transform and analyze the fluorescence data to provide reliable measures of drug effects on spontaneous rhythm. This assay can be used in drug discovery programs to guide chemical optimization away from, or toward, compounds affecting human cardiac function.

Spontaneously contracting syncytia of cardiomyocytes derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells are useful models of human cardiac physiology and pharmacology. Here we present a high-throughput screening system to quantify the effects of exogenous compounds on beating frequency, using a Ca-sensitive fluorescent dye and a temperature-controlled imaging multi-well plate reader.

Spontaneously contracting syncytia of cardiomyocytes derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CM) are a useful model of human cardiac ...