Design and development of a robotized system coupled to µCT imaging for intratumoral drug evaluation in a HCC mouse model

PLoS One. 2014 Sep 9;9(9):e106675. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106675. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancer related deaths worldwide. One of the main challenges in cancer treatment is drug delivery to target cancer cells specifically. Preclinical evaluation of intratumoral drugs in orthotopic liver cancer mouse models is difficult, as percutaneous injection hardly can be precisely performed manually. In the present study we have characterized a hepatoma model developing a single tumor nodule by implantation of Hep55.1C cells in the liver of syngeneic C57BL/6J mice. Tumor evolution was followed up by µCT imaging, and at the histological and molecular levels. This orthotopic, poorly differentiated mouse HCC model expressing fibrosis, inflammation and cancer markers was used to assess the efficacy of drugs. We took advantage of the high precision of a previously developed robotized system for automated, image-guided intratumoral needle insertion, to administer every week in the tumor of the Hep55.1C mouse model. A significant tumor growth inhibition was observed using our robotized system, whereas manual intraperitoneal administration had no effect, by comparison to untreated control mice.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / diagnostic imaging
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / drug therapy
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / pathology*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Doxorubicin / pharmacology
  • Doxorubicin / therapeutic use
  • Drug Evaluation / instrumentation*
  • Liver Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Liver Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Robotics*
  • X-Ray Microtomography*
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Doxorubicin

Grants and funding

The work was supported by the following: European Research Council Advanced Scientists grants (JME, http://erc.europa.eu/advanced-grants); Institut National du Cancer (INCA-2008-041, http://www.e-cancer.fr/); and Association de la Recherche contre le Cancer (ARC-N°3153, http://www.recherche-cancer.net/) (MA JME). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.