Animal models can be very powerful tools for analyzing the development and progression of cancer. One example of this is the transgenic polyoma middle T oncoprotein (PyMT) model.

Given the poor prognosis (28 percent five-year survival rate) for patients with advanced stage disease (stage III or IV), predictive preclinical models are needed for reliably evaluating treatment options. In most cases of advanced prostate cancer surgical resection is the optimal treatment plan.

Because so many novel approaches to treat pancreatic cancer have met with disappointing clinical outcomes, many drug discovery scientists have turned to immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer based on the recent successes of harnessing the immune system to treat other cancers.

The in vivo efficacy of small molecule inhibitors is often assessed by measuring the phosphorylation state of cell signaling proteins within the pathways the drug targets. This can be a challenge when analysis of solid tumors is required.

While preclinical oncology studies aim to mimic human diseases in an animal setting, the greatest challenge researchers face is the translatability of the results. An ideal preclinical tumor model would not only employ the specific cancer subtype but would also simulate the complex microenvironment required for tumorigenesis.  

Currently there are no targeted therapies specific for brain metastases, and the blood-brain barrier can pose a physiologic impediment to many cytotoxic drugs and antibody-based therapies.

Transcriptomic profiling can be used to examine the interaction between the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the immune system and is a powerful tool to investigate the mechanistic action of immunotherapies.

Pancreatic cancer is the ninth most commonly diagnosed cancer and ranks as one of the deadliest with the lowest 5-year survival rate of 5-8%.^[1,2,3] This year alone, the American Cancer Society estimates that 56,770 people will be diagnosed with the disease of which more than 45,750 people may not survive.

For the last 15 years, patients diagnosed with advanced stage pancreatic cancer are given gemcitabine (Gemzar®) as the standard first line treatment.

Because lung cancer is so prevalent, there are numerous opportunities for new human lines to be acquired and characterized. Scientists have become highly skilled in distinguishing the mutations that drive increased proliferation from those that suppress tumor growth. This information is key to developing novel therapies to treat lung cancer.