An avian embryo patient-derived xenograft model for preclinical studies of human breast cancers

Lack of preclinical patient-derived xenograft cancer models in which to conduct large-scale molecular studies seriously impairs the development of effective personalized therapies. We report here an in vivo concept consisting of implanting human tumor cells in targeted tissues of an avian embryo, delivering therapeutics, evaluating their efficacy by measuring tumors using light sheet confocal microscopy, and conducting large-scale RNA-seq analysis to characterize therapeutic-induced changes in gene expression. The model was established to recapitulate triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and validated using TNBC standards of care and an investigational therapeutic agent.

Automated summary

The lack of preclinical patient-derived xenograft cancer models for large-scale molecular studies hampers the development of effective personalized therapies. This study introduces an in vivo concept of implanting human tumor cells in avian embryos for targeted therapeutics delivery and evaluating efficacy through light sheet confocal microscopy. It demonstrates the feasibility of this model for characterizing therapeutic-induced changes in gene expression related to triple-negative breast cancer.