Protocol for delivery of intraoperative immunotherapy to mice by surgical debulking of subcutaneous tumors

Francois Xavier Rwandamuriye; Breana Vitali; Juliët Schreurs; Tao Wang; Emily Barrick; Killugudi Swaminathan Iyer; Willem Joost Lesterhuis; Rachael M Zemek; Ben Wylie

doi:10.1016/j.xpro.2024.102948

Protocol for delivery of intraoperative immunotherapy to mice by surgical debulking of subcutaneous tumors

STAR Protoc. 2024 Apr 18;5(2):102948. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2024.102948. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Francois Xavier Rwandamuriye¹, Breana Vitali², Juliët Schreurs², Tao Wang², Emily Barrick³, Killugudi Swaminathan Iyer⁴, Willem Joost Lesterhuis², Rachael M Zemek⁵, Ben Wylie⁶

Affiliations

¹ Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia. Electronic address: francois.rwandamuriye@telethonkids.org.au.
² Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia.
³ Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia.
⁴ School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
⁵ Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia. Electronic address: rachael.zemek@uwa.edu.au.
⁶ Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia. Electronic address: ben.wylie@uwa.edu.au.

Abstract

Pre-clinical studies developing novel therapies to prevent cancer recurrence require appropriate surgical models. Here, we present a protocol for surgical debulking of subcutaneous tumors in mice, which allows for intraoperative application of immunotherapy-loaded biomaterials. We describe steps for inoculating tumor cells, anesthetizing mice, and performing surgery. We then detail procedures for applying biomaterial, bandaging mice, and data collection and analysis. The optimized bandaging regimen resolves the issue of wound dehiscence after surgery, for C57BL/6 mice, which interfere with surgical sites. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Rwandamuriye et al.¹.

Keywords: Cancer; Immunology; Model Organisms.