Creation of a Transgenic Bone with an Altered Microenvironment using SCID-Human Model
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- Categories
- Biotechnology
- Summary
- Metastasis of prostate cancer to bone causes pain, compression fractures, spinal cord compromise, and other complications. The presence of prostate cancer cells in bone leads to a tremendous increase in the turnover of the bone extra cellular matrix. A greater understanding of the interactions between prostate cancer cells and the bone environment is a prerequisite for the development of new, biologically-based therapeutic strategies for patients with skeletal metastases.
We developed a “SCID-human” model of prostate cancer metastasis to bone. In this model, macroscopic (1cm) human fetal bone fragments (femurs, humeri) are implanted subcutaneously into immunodeficient (SCID) mice. A few weeks later, after the fragments have successfully engrafted, human prostate cancer cells are injected into the mouse either intravenously or directly in the implanted human bone. This model mimics real bone metastasis on several levels. First, human prostate cancer cells are placed in a human bone environment. Second, we showed that prostate cancer cells grow more rapidly in human bone as compared to other human or mouse organs. Third, the bone’s response to the presence of prostate cancer cell ranges from predominantly osteolytic to predominantly osteoblastic depending on the type of prostate cancer cells used. The SCID-human model is thus relevant to the study of the biology of bone metastasis and to the development of new therapeutic approaches targeting the interaction between human prostate cancer cells and human bone.
- File number
- 00-527
- Contact
- Anne DiSante
Director, Technology Transfer Office
Phone: 313-577-5541
Fax : 313-577-2814
anne.disante@wayne.edu