A syngeneic mouse glioma model for study of glioblastoma therapy

Animal models of human tumors serve a vital role in the development and tes ting of new anticancer therapies. Since the immune system is Likely to play an essential role in tumor eradication, there is a particular need for mod eling human disease in immunocompetent hosts. Few models of glioma have bee n developed in immunocompetent mice that are commercially available and non e of these tumors have histological and antigenic characteristics of human gliomas. We have used a cell line, 4C8, derived from a spontaneous glioma-l ike tumor that arose in a transgenic mouse to develop a new glioma model. T he intracranial injection of 4C8 cells into immunocompetent syngeneic B6D2F 1 mice resulted in tumors that were densely cellular, developed a pseudopal lisading pattern of necrosis, and expressed GFAP; all important features of human malignant gliomas. The average neurological endpoint was 51 days aft er intracranial injection. The 4C8 cells also grew rapidly in the flank ret aining histologic, features seen in intracranial tumors. Rank tumors reache d an average volume of 100 mm(3), a volume ideal for therapy testing, by 34 days postinjection. These results suggest that the 4C8 mouse glioma model is an excellent system in which to test new antiglioma therapies for use in humans.