Visionar Preclinical AB can offer different in vivo models to study the effect of cytostatic substances. Our first hand choice is the relatively quick hollow-fibre technique. As subsequent steps we can offer s.c. xenografts and/or transplantation to the spleen as a metastatic model.

In vitro

Before starting with the in vivo studies it is wise to investigate the cytotoxic potential of the drug candidate in vitro. The cell lines that were found to be sensitive to the drug candidate could then be used for hollow-fibre or xenograftmodels.

Hollow-fibre technique

The hollow-fibre technique is fast, efficient and a cheaper alternative to xenograft models. With this technique immunocompetent animals can be used. It is possible to investigate several cell lines in the same animal. In most cases, we transplant 3 fibres per animal, and thus 3 different cell lines can be investigated at the same time.

We can today offer several cell lines that could be used to evaluate cytostatic potential with hollow-fibres. The available cell lines cover a wide range of cancer forms;

• acute lymphocytic leukemia (CEM/S)
• kidney cancer (ACHN)
• small cell lung cancer (H69)
• myeloma (8226/S)
• acute myelocytic leukemia (MV-4-11)
• lymfoma (U937)
• breast cancer (MCF7 and MDA-231)

We also have primary cultures of ovarial cellcancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and acute myelocytic leukemia. Furthermore, several other cell lines could on request be adapted to the hollow-fibre technique, i.e. prostate and colon cancer cell lines.
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Xenograft

In xenograft studies human tumour cell lines are transplanted subcutanous to nu/nu mice. Up to now we have evaluated 4 different cell lines

• Kidney cancer (ACHN)
• Colon cancer (HT29)
• Prostate cancer (PC3)
• Breast cancer (MDA-231)

Metastasis model

To evaluate the cytostatic potential on tumours with metastatic properties we can offer a metastasis model. Human colon cancer cells (HT29) are transplanted to the spleen in nu/nu mice, metastases are then formed predominantly in the liver and in the lungs.
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