The latest animal models of ovarian cancer for novel drug discovery

Abstract

Epithelial ovarian cancer is a heterogeneous disease classified into five subtypes, each with a different molecular profile. Most cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed after metastasis of the primary tumor and are resistant to traditional platinum-based chemotherapeutics. Mouse models of ovarian cancer have been utilized to discern ovarian cancer tumorigenesis and the tumor's response to therapeutics. Areas covered: The authors provide a review of mouse models currently employed to understand ovarian cancer. This article focuses on advances in the development of orthotopic and patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) mouse models of ovarian cancer and discusses current humanized mouse models of ovarian cancer. Expert opinion: The authors suggest that humanized mouse models of ovarian cancer will provide new insight into the role of the human immune system in combating and augmenting ovarian cancer and aid in the development of novel therapeutics. Development of humanized mouse models will take advantage of the NSG and NSG-SGM3 strains of mice as well as new strains that are actively being derived.

Current methods in translational cancer research

“…Patient-derived xenograft models were first created and published in 1969, when Rygaard and Polvsen first minced, and then injected a colonic adenocarcinoma sample from a 74year-old patient into athymic nude mice [127]. This model, established for the first time more than five decades ago, has several distinct features when compared with cell line-derived xenografts and syngeneic or transgenic mouse models.…”

Understanding and addressing barriers to successful adenovirus-based virotherapy for ovarian cancer

“…Preclinical in vivo models that both accurately recapitulate human HGSOC and allow testing of oncolytic Ad vectors and their immunobiological effects are absent [52][53][54]. A focus of the last decade has been the search for immunocompetent animal models and humanized models accurately representative of EOC that contribute to decipher virus/host interactions, as studies to date mostly use human xenografts in immunodeficient mice.…”

Experimental modeling of ovarian carcinoma

“…Необходимо отметить, что использование иммунодефицитных животных не позволяет в полной мере изучить влияние микроокружения на рост опухоли и противоопухолевый иммунный ответ. Для трансплантации ксенографтов ЭРЯ используется три пути введения: подкожный (эктопический), внутрибрюшинный и ортотопический (в яичниковую сумку) [18,19]. Ключевые особенности каждого из способов трансплантации приведены в таблице.…”