A surgical procedure was developed to deliver mammary tumor cells to the murine liver via portal vein injection. This model permits investigation of late stages of liver metastasis in a fully immune competent host, including tumor cell extravasation, seeding, survival, and metastatic outgrowth in the liver.
Total time
~45 min/mouse (surgical procedure); 2-4 weeks (metastatic outgrowth assessment)
Model organism
Mouse (immune competent strain with mammary tumor cells)
Steps
1
Perform portal vein injection surgical technique
Execute the surgical procedure to deliver mammary tumor cells directly into the murine portal vein. This minimally invasive technique allows direct delivery of cancer cells to the liver while maintaining an intact immune system.
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2
Analyze tumor cell delivery and localization
Quantify and characterize portal vein injection efficiency using representative analyses to confirm successful tumor cell delivery to liver tissue. Assess distribution and initial seeding patterns post-injection.
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3
Interpret metastatic outgrowth and endpoints
Evaluate late-stage metastatic progression including cell extravasation, survival, and tumor colony formation in liver tissue. Summarize key findings and applications of the portal vein injection model.
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