Generation of murine xenograft models of brain tumors from primary human tissue for in vivo analysis of the brain tumor-initiating cell

Methods Mol Biol. 2014:1210:37-49. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1435-7_4.

Abstract

The generation of xenograft models, which support the growth of human tissue in animals, forms an important part of a researcher's tool kit and enhances the ability to understand the initiation and development of cancer in vivo. Especially in the context of the brain tumor-initiating cell (BTIC), a xenograft model allows for careful characterization of BTIC roles in tumor initiation, growth, and relapse. Here, we detail a set of procedures which describe the isolation, enrichment, and intracranial injection of human BTICs from patient samples to generate xenograft models of a human brain tumor.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Brain Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Heterografts*
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Mice
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Primary Cell Culture
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured