Melanoma cancer models

Preclinical models to evaluate new therapies for melanoma cancer

Melanoma is a skin cancer of increasing incidence worldwide. Unlike other skin cancers which are easily treated with surgery while still primary tumors, melanoma is frequently deadly, due to rapid metastases development. Indeed, even if melanoma constitutes only 5% of all skin cancers, it accounts for more than 75% of skin cancer deaths.

Determining the metastatic spread of melanoma cells to the regional lymph nodes is essential in the assessment of prognosis and treatment options.   Many patients are treated with radiation in the later metastatic stages, but recent immunotherapy approaches show promise to slow disease progression, as do small molecule inhibitors of BRAF.

Oncodesign Services supports you with in vivo models established for melanoma cancer

Considering that melanoma is a metastatic disease Oncodesign Services believes that therapies should be tested against preclinical metastatic melanoma models, after a proof of concept in subcutaneous melanoma models.  Metastatic sites include lymph nodes, lung, brain and bone and.  These vastly different tumor microenvironments (TME) can result in distinct drug exposures.  A subcutaneous tumor model is an major step in preclinical validation, but it is insufficient to truly model melanoma and its metastatic consequences. 

Oncodesign Services’ models have been used to test a range of therapy approaches to melanoma, including:   

• Surgery (tumor resection)
• Immunotherapy (ICI, IL-2, IFN)
• Chemotherapy (Dacarbazine, Temozolomide, Paclitaxel, Cisplatin)
• Radiotherapy

To evaluate the potential of therapies against metastatic melanoma, Oncodesign Services has developed a novel human xenograft model in immunodeficient rodents (mice and rats) involving metastasis formation in multiple organs.

For in vitro screening and mechanism of action determination, Oncodesign Services propose a large additional panel of human and mouse tumor cell lines.

Example of melanoma cancer models at Oncodesign Services suitable for subcutaneous modeling:

Metastatic Modeling of Melanoma

Oncodesign Services has developed the CMEL-5 melanoma CDX into a model of multi-organ metastasis (including brain).  Contact us to request a poster presented at AACR.  The model is available in rats and mice.

To mimics, metastases clinical situation, Oncodesign Services has developed techniques to implant directly melanoma cells in different organs as brain, bones and lungs.

Radiotherapy Modeling

Oncodesign Services has a small animal irradiator able to simulate radiotherapy.  Ask us if a combination chemo-therapy radio-therapy approach might be right for your therapy.

Read more about Oncodesign Services’ tumor bank