Establishment of Patient-Derived Xenograft Mouse Model with Human Osteosarcoma Tissues
Summary
The present protocol describes the method for establishing a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse model using human osteosarcoma tissue.
Abstract
Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents. Despite the development of new treatment plans in recent years, the prognosis for osteosarcoma patients has not significantly improved. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a robust preclinical model with high fidelity. The patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model faithfully preserves the genetic, epigenetic, and heterogeneous characteristics of human malignancies for each patient. Consequently, PDX models are considered authentic in vivo models for studying various cancers in transformation studies. This article presents a comprehensive protocol for creating and maintaining a PDX mouse model that accurately mirrors the morphological features of human osteosarcoma. This involves the immediate transplantation of freshly resected human osteosarcoma tissue into immunocompromised mice, followed by successive passaging. The described model serves as a platform for studying the growth, drug resistance, relapse, and metastasis of osteosarcoma. Additionally, it aids in screening the target therapeutics and establishing personalized treatment schemes.
Introduction
Osteosarcoma is a primary bone malignancy derived from interosseous lobe cells and is most common in adolescents as well as children. It often occurs in the epiphysis of the long diaphysis and is characterized by high malignancy, early metastasis, and poor prognosis1,2. Lung metastasis is the main cause of death in osteosarcoma patients. The 5-year survival rate of patients with non-metastatic osteosarcoma is 65%-70%3. However, over the last 40 years, the 5-year survival rate (only 20%) of patients with metastatic osteosarcoma has not significantly improved, and 25% of osteosarcoma patients have metastases at the time of diagnosis4. Currently, the first-line drugs for osteosarcoma treatment have reached a consensus, but there are still significant differences in chemotherapy regimen and treatment time5. It is important to perform preclinical experiments based on appropriate animal models to obtain more effective chemotherapy regimens.
Currently, models commonly used for osteosarcoma preclinical experiments include cell line-based in vitro cell culture and in vivo cell-derived xenografts (CDX), as well as patient-derived xenografts (PDX)6,7.
The cell lines are convenient for culturing and for use in in vitro studies, or for transplantation into immunodeficient mice to establish CDX models8. However, cell lines cultured in vitro may not accurately reflect the heterogeneity of malignancies and the individual characteristics of patients due to potential mutations that occur to adapt to the in vitro culture environment during repeated passages. Additionally, they lack the microenvironment and immune system necessary for tumor growth and development in vivo. While CDX models offer some advantages over in vitro cell culture, they still may not fully reflect the individual characteristics of osteosarcoma patients, although tumor tissues obtained from CDX models have limited intratumoral heterogeneity and immune system representation compared to cell lines cultured in vitro9. Therefore, establishing a preclinical model with high fidelity is crucial.
PDX models involve the immediate transplantation of freshly resected human cancer tissues into immunodeficient mice. This method allows for the faithful preservation of genetic, epigenetic, and heterogeneous characteristics of human malignancies for each patient, even after successive passages in mice. Furthermore, PDX models are known to accurately predict later clinical outcomes10, making them valuable tools for creating individualized treatments and advancing precision medicine research11.
This work describes the procedure for establishing a PDX model in immunodeficient mice by transplanting human osteosarcoma tissue. Such models serve as platforms for conducting preclinical experiments for osteosarcoma.
Protocol
Representative Results
Discussion
The PDX models can simulate the characteristics of human cancers and retain more similarity with the primary tumor, including genetic and genomic alterations, histology, heterogeneity, and gene expression profile16,17,18,19. Therefore, they preserve the molecular phenotypes and genotypes of cancer patients, providing innovative approaches for studying biology and evaluating potential therapeuti…
Disclosures
The authors have nothing to disclose.
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by grants from (1) the National Nature Science Foundation (81973877 and 82174408); (2) Shanghai Top Priority Research Center construction project (2022ZZ01009); (3) National Key R&D Program of China (2020YFE0201600); (4) Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center of Industrial Transformation of Hospital TCM Preparation and (5) Research Projects within Budget of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2021LK047).
Materials
| 10% formalin neutral solution | Wuhan Saiweier Biotechnology Co., Ltd | G1101-500ml | Fix the tissues |
| Autoclave | Japan Hiryama Company | HVE-50 | Sterilization surgical instruments |
| CAnN.Cg-Foxn1nu/Crl | Shanghai SLAC Laboratory Animal Co, Ltd. | / | Animal |
| Caliper | Yantai Green Forest Tools Co., Ltd. | 034180A | Measure the tumor volume |
| Dish (60mm) | Shanghai NianYue Biotechnology Co., Ltd | 430166, Corning | Sample placment during transplantation |
| Disinfectant cotton balls | Shanghai Honglong Industrial Co., Ltd. | 20230627 | Disinfect the skin of mice |
| Disposable sterile gloves | Guilin Hengbao Health Protection Co., Ltd. | YT21131 | Sterile operation |
| Double lion Irradiated Rodent Diet | Suzhou Shuangshi Experimental Animal Feed Technology Co., Ltd. | GB 14924.3 | Animal feed |
| Electronic scale | Shanghai NianYue Biotechnology Co., Ltd | 1-2000 | Weigh the weight of the tumor |
| Eosin | Shanghai Gengyun Biotechnology Co., Ltd | E4009-25G | Hematoxylin eosin stain |
| Hematoxylin | Shanghai Gengyun Biotechnology Co., Ltd | H3136-25G | Hematoxylin eosin stain |
| Isoflurane | Shenzhen RWD Life Technology Co., Ltd | VETEASY | Mouse anesthesia |
| IVCs mice cage | Suzhou Monkey King Animal Experimental Equipment Technology Co., Ltd. | HH-MMB-2 | Animal barrier |
| Mark pen | Zebra Trading (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. | YYST5 | Mark the surgical incision |
| Olympus Optical microscope | Japanese Olympus Company | BH20 | Scan tissue slices |
| Ophthalmic ointment | Shanghai Gengyun Biotechnology Co., Ltd | SOICOEYEGRL | Avoid dry eyes of mice during anesthesia |
| Ophthalmic scissors | Shanghai NianYue Biotechnology Co., Ltd | Y00030 JZ | Cut the skin |
| Ophthalmic tweezers | Shanghai NianYue Biotechnology Co., Ltd | BS-ZER-S-100 Biosharp | Hold osteosarcoma tissues during transplantation |
| Paraffin | Jiangsu Shitai Experimental Equipment Co., Ltd. | 80200-0015 | Buried osteosarcoma tissue |
| Paraffin slicing machine | Lyca Microsystem (Shanghai) Trading Co., Ltd. | RM2235 | Osteosarcoma tissue section |
| physiological saline | Guangzhou Jinsheng Biotechnology Co., Ltd. | 605-004057 | Rinse and temporary storage of osteosarcoma tissue |
| Scalpels | Surgical Instrument Factory of Shanghai Medical Devices (Group) Co., Ltd. | J11010-10# JZ | Separation of osteosarcoma tissue and making surgical incisions |
| Sterile hood | Thermo Fisher Technology (China) Co., Ltd. | ECO0.9 | Surgical operation table |
| sterile surgical drapes | Henan Huayu Medical Equipment Co., Ltd. | 20160090 | Provide sterile surgery area |
| Straight needle holder | Shanghai Gengyun Biotechnology Co., Ltd | J31050 JZ | Suture the wound |
| Suture line | Shanghai Pudong Jinhuan Medical Products Co., Ltd | F3124 | Suture the wound |
| Suture needle | Shanghai Pudong Jinhuan Medical Products Co., Ltd | F3124 | Suture the wound |
| Tissue protective solution | Nanjing Shenghang Biotechnology Co., LTD | BC-CFM-03 | Maintain the activity of tissue cells |
| Tube (50 mL) | Shanghai Baisai, Biotechnology Co., Ltd. | BLD-BL2002500 | Install formalin fixation solution |
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