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Botany JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

An Orthotopic Mouse Model of Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma

DOI: 10.3791/50097-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Prepare human anaplastic thyroid cancer cells for orthotopic transplantation
  • ✓ Perform surgical thyroid access and cell injection in immunodeficient mice
  • ✓ Execute post-operative care and tissue collection protocols
  • ✓ Verify tumor establishment via histological analysis
Protocol

Generation of an orthotopic mouse model of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is described here. This technique employs surgical placement of human anaplastic thyroid cancer cells into the thyroid of immunodeficient mice, thus creating a more clinically relevant setting to study disease progression as well as screen innovative therapeutic interventions.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~45–60 min/mouse (surgery + recovery); 1–2 weeks to tumor establishment
Model organism
Mouse (immunodeficient strain, unspecified in abstract)
Biosafety
BSL-2

Steps

1
Prepare anaplastic thyroid cancer cells for injection

Culture and prepare human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells to appropriate cell density and viability for orthotopic transplantation into mouse thyroid tissue.

▶ 01:14
2
Prepare surgical field and anesthetize mouse

Set up sterile surgical instruments, anesthetize immunodeficient mouse, and position animal for thyroid access.

▶ 02:43
3
Surgically access thyroid and inject cancer cells

Perform surgical incision, locate thyroid gland, and inject prepared anaplastic thyroid cancer cells directly into thyroid tissue.

▶ 03:54
4
Provide post-operative care and collect tissue

Monitor mouse recovery, manage anesthesia reversal, and collect thyroid tissue at designated timepoints for downstream analysis.

▶ 04:44
5
Verify tumor establishment via histological analysis

Process collected thyroid tissue and perform histological staining to confirm anaplastic thyroid carcinoma growth and characteristics.

▶ 05:30
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