Description:
Reference #: 01211
The University of South Carolina is offering licensing opportunities for an experimental methodology that allows growth of transplantable human tumors on appropriate subjects and can be tested with results that mimic drug tests in naturally existing populations
Invention Description:
The subject invention is a protocol that allows growth of human cancers (xenografts) in animals of the genus Peromyscus. The protocol results in the immunosuppression in Peromyscus and hence the growth of transplantable human tumors that can be effectively drug tested. Human cancers that can grow in Peromyscus include estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers that can form xenografts without the need for estrogen supplementation.
Background:
A major limitation in anticancer drug testing is the inbred nature of experimental (laboratory) mice that frequently leads to the production of results that do not represent naturally existing populations. In view of the fact that the inbred nature of the laboratory mice contributes to their inability to predict promising drug candidates, there is a need to explore alternative experimental methodologies that can minimize the failure experimental anticancer drugs in the clinic. This is especially true for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers that in order to grow in conventional mice require supplementation with estradiol.
Potential Applications:
Peromyscus animals (deer mice), can be maintained in captivity as outbred wild type populations providing an experimental system suitable for testing of experimental anticancer drugs.
Advantages and Benefits:
By using outbred populations of Peromyscus drug testing resembles testing of drugs in naturally existing populations such as human populations (patients). In addition, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer growth is feasible without the need of supplementation of the animals with exogenous estrogen.