A simple method for serial image-based monitoring of animal studies of novel treatments in human prostate cancer

Objectives 1. To demonstrate proof-of-concept for a simple imaging-based method for serial monitoring of novel therapies in an animal model of human prostate cancer.2. To show that bioluminescence imaging is useful for rapid and direct demonstration of anti-angiogenic effect of contortrostatin in prostate cancer.3. To show the utility of micro-CT in depicting localization and growth of tumor at the site of tumor implantation.

Conclusions We evaluated the feasibility and logistics of an image-based method for serial monitoring of animal studies of novel treatments in prostate cancer. Tibia of nude mice were injected with 50K of human prostate cancer cell line PC3 expressing luciferase (PC3-Luc) cells mixed with Matrigel. The mice were divided into control and therapy groups. Anti-angiogenic treatment was with liposomal formulation of recombinant contortrostatin (a disintegrin purified from venom of southern copperhead snake) released from Alzet pumps for 28 days (43 ug/day). Tumor growth in bone was monitored with optical imaging (Xenogen) and micro-CT at 1, 2, 3, and 5 weeks after tumor implantation. Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) clearly showed the anti-tumor effect of contortrostatin with decreasing signal in treated animals compared to control mice. However, tumor volume measurements at micro-CT did not demonstrate a statistically significant change during the 5-week study period. While BLI was useful for direct monitoring of treatment response, micro-CT was helpful for demonstrating tumor localization, growth, and local structural damage.

Research Support H. Jadvar was supported in part by NIH/NCI Grant R01-CA111613.