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Pharmacology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Live Imaging of Drug Responses in the Tumor Microenvironment in Mouse Models of Breast Cancer

DOI: 10.3791/50088-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Prepare mouse mammary tissue for intravital imaging of tumor microenvironment
  • ✓ Perform surgical exposure of inguinal mammary gland without damaging vasculature
  • ✓ Acquire single-cell resolution live imaging of drug response in vivo
  • ✓ Interpret representative imaging data showing treatment effects at cellular level
Protocol

We describe a method for imaging response to anti-cancer treatment in vivo and at single cell resolution.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~2-3 hours per mouse (surgical prep, imaging, and post-operative care)
Model organism
Mouse (breast cancer xenograft/transgenic models)
Biosafety
BSL-1

Steps

1
Prepare animals and surgical imaging platform

Anesthetize mice and prepare surgical tools, imaging stage, and optical equipment for intravital microscopy of mammary tissue.

▶ 01:16
2
Expose inguinal mammary gland for imaging

Perform surgical incision and careful dissection to expose the tumor-bearing mammary tissue while preserving blood supply and minimizing tissue damage.

▶ 02:31
3
Position mouse on imaging stage

Mount and stabilize the anesthetized mouse on the microscope stage, position the exposed mammary gland for optimal optical access, and secure stage temperature control.

▶ 04:21
4
Acquire and interpret live imaging results

Capture single-cell resolution time-lapse imaging of drug responses in the tumor microenvironment and analyze representative data showing cellular-level treatment effects.

▶ 06:16
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