Cancer, transgenic animal models

Overexpression of the EGF receptor (or any of its ligands), can also induce cancer in both cell lines and transgenic animal models. Monoclonal antibodies capable of blocking receptor activity can promote tumour regression in mice suffering from various carcinomas. A direct correlation also exists between elevated EGF receptor numbers and a shorter patient survival span in the case of several forms of breast, oesophageal, bladder and squamous cell carcinomas. 

A second animal model uses H-ros transgenic mice (Oncomouse ) which spontaneously develop mammary and salivary tumors.97 This model is considered to be more relevant to human cancer in that tumor initiation and growth is endogenous, in contrast to nude mouse tumor explants. Mice with palpable tumors between 50 and 350 mm3 were treated with either the ester prodrug 18c (40 mg/kg, once daily, s.c.) or vehicle, and the size of the tumors monitored over time.44 While... 

Rosenberg MP, Bortner D. Why transgenic and knockout animal models should be used (for drug efficacy studies in cancer). Cancer Metastasis Rev 1998 17 295-9. 

To date, the reporter gene imaging approach is used to evaluate gene delivery systems or to track transgenic cancer cells and xenografts in animal models. In the future, this approach may be useful to monitor the effectiveness of gene therapy in humans. 

Imaging the effects of treatment targeted to a particular signaling pathway is described earlier, and it can be applied to tumors or xenografts that have been transduced with the appropriate reporter construct or to transgenic reporter animal models of cancer. A more widely used variant of this application, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, is the monitoring of tumor or... 

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