Establishment of Stereotactic Orthotopic Brain Tumor Xenografts in Mice: Technical Report

The development of reliable, clinically relevant in vivo tumor model systems for central nervous system neoplasms is of paramount importance in the advancement of basic and translational research. Discrepancies between preclinical and clinical results of anticancer therapeutic agents demand reliable research platforms that can precisely recapitulate the behavior of such cancers. One approach that has gained great traction in neuro-oncological research is that of primary xenografts, whereby patient-derived tumors are dissociated and maintained by subsequent serial passaging prior to intracranial injection within animal lines. Herein, we describe our experiences in the development of murine models for glioblastoma (GBM), atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT), and medulloblastoma. This technique is a general method to introduce neoplasms through intracranial stereotactic xenograft injections in mice.