4T1-luc2: An orthotopic mammary cancer model to support novel immuno-oncology drug discovery

Breast cancer is the second most deadly malignancy after lung cancer in woman in the United States, with an estimated 246,000 new cases and 40,450 deaths expected in 2016. Many treatment options for breast cancer exist including surgery, radiotherapy, anti-estrogen therapy, targeted therapies (e.g., trastuzumab), and chemotherapy. Despite these therapeutic advances, metastatic disease remains a significant source of mortality. Immunotherapy has seen remarkable progress in the last five years with four T cell immune checkpoint inhibitors approved. While none of these checkpoint inhibitors are approved in breast cancer, there are currently 60+ clinical trials ongoing in breast cancer with checkpoint inhibitors against PD-1 or PD-L1 and 20+ clinical trials ongoing with CTLA-4 inhibitors. 

BxPC-3: Evaluating responses to standard therapeutic agents in subcutaneous mouse model of human pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer, particularly pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), stands as a formidable global health challenge with a projected incidence of 18.6 per 100,000 by 2050. Surgical resection, the potential cure, is hindered by late-stage diagnoses, limiting viable candidates. Accounting for 85% of pancreatic cancer cases, PDAC often eludes early detection due to its retroperitoneal location, resulting in dismal 5-year survival rates not surpassing 10%. Other challenges include the tumor’s aggressive nature, patient frailty and pervasive resistance to therapies. Overcoming these challenges demands innovative approaches and BxPC-3, a human PDAC model, emerges as a valuable tool for in vitro and in vivo testing of novel therapeutic interventions to improve outcomes.

Novel technique for preclinical assessment of targeted therapies to inhibit both primary and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer remains a formidable challenge in healthcare as the leading cause of cancer-related fatalities. Constituting 80% of all lung cancer cases, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is of particular concern due to the development of brain metastasis observed in 20%-40% of NSCLC patients, contributing to poor prognosis, recurrence and a post-metastasis survival time of only one to two months if left untreated.1