Experimental animal models are available for the development of new treatment. The Old World rats and mice, part of the subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species. Members of this subfamily are called murines. This subfamily is larger than all mammal families except the Cricetidae and Muridae, and is larger than all mammal orders except the bats and the remainder of the rodents.
Murine animal models have particular advantages for comparative study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different treatment modalities because many mice can be treated at the same time with easy handling. Among several experimental models, murine renal carcinoma (Renca), which arises spontaneously in Balb/c mice, is the most frequently used for the assessment of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy. Renca cells readily establish tumors in isogenic mice, producing histologically proven adenocarcinoma with a predictable growth rate to mimic the clinical situation for orthotopic growth and metastases in a reasonable time frame. Because of its poor immunogenicity and its responsiveness to immunotherapy, the number of studies using cytokine gene-modified tumor vaccines-such as interferon-alfa or interleukin-2-in the Renca system is growing. Therefore, Renca experiments greatly contribute to the analysis of the mechanisms of antitumor immune response. In this chapter, we describe several experimental systems using this Renca model 1).
see Murine glioma model.
Murine Model of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
To develop new therapies for glioblastoma, preclinical mouse models are essential for analyzing the biology of glioblastoma, identifying new therapeutic targets, and evaluating the potential of new therapeutic strategies. Current preclinical glioblastoma models are classified into two categories: xenografts and genetically engineered mouse models. Xenografts are classified into two categories: glioblastoma cell-line xenografts and patient-derived xenografts. Glioblastoma cell-line xenografts generally have the advantages of high engraftment and growth rates, but it is doubtful whether glioblastoma cell-line xenografts reflect the true biological nature of glioblastoma. Patient-derived xenografts retain both the genetic and histological features of the primary tumor, and thus are expected to be good preclinical models in translational glioblastoma research. However, they cannot fully reflect the host’s antitumor immunity in human glioblastoma. Glioblastoma genetically engineered mouse models make it possible to pinpoint genetic alterations involved in tumor initiation and progression, but tumors are usually composed of cells with specific, homogeneous genetic changes, and thus cannot completely reflect the intratumoral genomic and phenotypic heterogeneity of glioblastoma. Presently, patient-derived xenografts and glioblastoma genetically engineered mouse models are excellent glioblastoma mouse models for current use, but more work is needed to establish mouse models that fully recapitulate human glioblastoma 2).