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The Living Tumor Lab, Canada

Objective: The LTL transplantable cancer tissue xenografts are based on grafting patients’ biopsy or excised tumor tissue into the subrenal capsule graft site (sub-renal capsule xenografting). The high vascularity of this site, compared to subcutaneous and orthotopic sites, allows more adequate supply of nutrients to the graft important for maintaining tumor heterogeneity. Thus, the cancer tissue xenografts established in the Living Tumor Laboratory have the following advantages: • High take rate. We have consistently achieved high tumor take rates (>95%) for a variety of low and higher grade malignancies. • Retention of major characteristics of the original tumors. The tumor tissue lines retain major genotypic and phenotypic characteristics (histopathology, heterogeneous cell population, target expression and target dependence) of the patient’s original tumor, including drug sensitivity/resistance. Early samples are stored frozen in liquid nitrogen. • Novel model of metastasis. Many of our transplantable living tumor tissue lines exhibit predictable macroscopic (high-volume) metastases. • High reproducibility. Large amounts of tumor tissue can be grown readily. The Living Tumor Laboratory has established more than 200 transplantable human cancer tissue lines in SCID mice directly derived from a wide range of primary tumors from patients.