Transcriptional analysis of TME in MC38 colon carcinoma model following checkpoint inhibition

AACR 2023 -- Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers with 200,000 U.S. cases per year. Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of CRC, making up 95 percent of all CRC cases. Checkpoint inhibitors used for CRC have shown efficacy for a specific subset of patients. MC38 is one of the robust preclinical tumor models in immuno-oncology due to its characteristics as an immunologically warm tumor and response to some immunotherapies. To identify underlying factors that influence differences in treatment response, the tumor microenvironment (TME) of the MC38 model was analyzed following the treatment with anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated protein 4 (CTLA-4). Labcorp In Vitro Preclinical Oncology uses molecular signatures within the TME in preclinical models to help inform both test agent mechanism and combination strategies. MC38 syngeneic colon tumor model is used as an example of how phenotypic signatures can be leveraged for early identification of predictive biomarkers and for rational design of combination therapies with checkpoint inhibitors to improve patient outcome.