Orthotopic Tumor Models
High-fidelity in vivo systems that mirror native tumor microenvironments for more predictive oncology decisions.
Orthotopic tumor models place cancer cells in their native tissue, preserving microenvironment, vasculature, and metastatic routes. Compared with subcutaneous approaches, an orthotropic model yields predictive pharmacodynamics, invasion, and spread.
Our mouse orthotopic models enable relevant imaging endpoints, immune interactions, and therapeutic response profiling, improving translational confidence for oncology programs.
Orthotopic success hinges on surgical proficiency
Orthotopic tumor models depend on precise implantation into the target tissue, procedures that directly influence take rates, metastasis patterns, and study reproducibility. Melior’s accumulated surgical skill enables reliable establishment of orthotopic xenograft and mouse orthotopic models across a deep catalog of tissues and tumor types.
Syngeneic orthotopic models preserve immunity
Syngeneic orthotopic tumor models pair murine tumors with immunocompetent hosts, preserving full immune signaling and native organ cues. They’re well-suited for checkpoint/cytokine studies, tumor–immune interaction readouts, and organotropism/metastasis assessments with longitudinal imaging.
| Tissue | Model (link) | Typical timeline | What it’s good for? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bone | K7M2 | ~4 weeks | Intratibial mouse orthotopic model; native microenvironment; spontaneous lung metastasis; antimetastatic efficacy & imaging endpoints. |
| Breast | EMT6 | ~3–4 weeks | Mammary fat pad orthotopic tumor growth; immune-competent setting; invasion/metastasis; checkpoint and cytokine pathway studies. |
| Colon | CT26 | ~4–6 weeks | Cecal wall orthotopic implantation; liver/lung organotropism; immunotherapy and chemo evaluation; longitudinal BLI-friendly. |
| Liver | Hepa 1-6 | ~8–10 weeks | Intrahepatic HCC model; immuno-oncology & metastasis studies; more clinically relevant than subcutaneous. |
| Melanoma | B16F10 | ~3–4 weeks | Intradermal growth in skin layer; tumor–immune interactions; immunotherapy response profiling and spatial endpoints. |
Orthotopic xenograft models test human tumors
Orthotopic xenograft models place human tumor cells into the organ of origin, enabling evaluation of delivery barriers and invasive phenotypes that subcutaneous screens miss. They are ideal for testing human-tumor pharmacology and metastatic behavior with sensitive imaging and organ-specific endpoints.
| Tissue | Model (link) | Typical timeline | What it’s good for? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain | U87 | ~4-8 weeks | Stereotactic brain implantation; BBB penetration, invasive growth; survival, MRI/US, BLI endpoints. |
| Brain | LN229-Luc-Luc | ~10–12 weeks | Orthotopic GBM model; invasion/drug-resistance biology; therapy testing with sensitive luciferase readouts. |
| Breast | MCF-7 | ~8–10 weeks | ER+ mammary fat pad orthotopic xenograft model; hormone responsiveness; endocrine therapy evaluation. |
| Colon | HCT-15-Luc2 | ~4–6 weeks | Orthotopic colon implantation; liver/lung metastasis; tumor–host interaction and novel therapy assessment. |
| Kidney | 786-O | ~8–10 weeks | ccRCC physiology (VHL/HIF-2α features); growth/metastasis in native site; treatment-response profiling. |
| Liver | HepG2-Luc | ~8–10 weeks | Intrahepatic or spleen-to-liver seeding; realistic HCC microenvironment; growth/metastasis studies. |
| Ovary | SK-OV-3 | ~4–8 weeks | Ovarian bursa injection; peritoneal spread/ascites; intraperitoneal therapy strategies and imaging. |
| Pancreas | PANC-1-Luc2 | ~8–10 weeks | Parenchymal/tail implantation; desmoplasia, local invasion; delivery-limited efficacy (stromal barriers). |
| Prostate | LNCaP-Luc2 | ~8–10 weeks | Androgen-dependent prostate cancer; growth/metastasis in situ; response to targeted/cytotoxic agents. |
Enhance your study findings with custom services and tools
Get more from your orthotopic tumor models with tailored add-ons, including IVIS imaging and whole blood, spleen, and lymph node analyses, supported by expert surgical implantation and study design.
Transcend Therapeutics
IVIS bioluminescence confirms in vivo growth of orthotopic HepG2 liver tumors at week 4. The HepG2 orthotopic liver tumor model was generated by inoculating 1 × 106 HepG2 cells into the left liver lobe of nude mice through laparotomy under isoflurane anesthesia. IVIS-BLI was performed at week 4 (A). The mice were euthanized at week 8 weeks and the liver were excised (B) and formalin fixed (C). Red circle indicated HepG2 tumor.
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor and Chemotherapy Validation in Melanoma B16F10 orthotopic Tumor Model. 0.5 x106 B16F10 mouse melanoma cells were intradermally injected into the rear flank of C57B6 mice. Once the tumor size reached 50~100mm3, mice were randomized into groups and treated with vehicle anti-PD-1 antibody (12.5 mg/kg IP), or paclitaxel (20 mg/kg IP). Tumor volume was monitored twice per week using calipers. Both anti-PD1 antibody and paclitaxel significantly depressed tumor growth ( Arrows indicate date of treatment; both p<0.001; Data are mean ± SEM; n=5 for each group).
Get the data you need with with expert implementation on tight timelines
Expert surgical implantation across organs
Accelerated 3–10-week study timelines
Custom orthotopic designs for your study
Publications
Haddad, A. F., Young, J. S., Amara, D., Berger, M. S., Raleigh, D. R., Aghi, M. K., & Butowski, N. A. (2021). Mouse models of glioblastoma for the evaluation of novel therapeutic strategies. Neuro-Oncology Advances, 3(1), vdab100. https://doi.org/10.1093/noajnl/vdab100
Kocatürk, B., & Versteeg, H. H. (2015). Orthotopic injection of breast cancer cells into the mammary fat pad of mice to study tumor growth. Journal of Visualized Experiments, (96), e51967. https://doi.org/10.3791/51967
Terracina, K. P., Aoyagi, T., Huang, W.-C., Nagahashi, M., Yamada, A., Aoki, K., & Takabe, K. (2015). Development of a metastatic murine colon cancer model. Journal of Surgical Research, 199(1), 106–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2015.04.030
Hiraga, T., Nishida, D., & Horibe, K. (2024). Primary tumor-induced immunity suppresses bone metastases of breast cancer in syngeneic immunocompetent mouse models. Bone, 178, 116944. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2023.116944
Khanna, C., Prehn, J., Yeung, C., Caylor, J., Tsokos, M., & Helman, L. (2000). An orthotopic model of murine osteosarcoma with clonally related variants differing in pulmonary metastatic potential. Clinical & Experimental Metastasis, 18(3), 261–271. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006767007547
Frequently Asked Questions
Use syngeneic when immune pathways are central (e.g., checkpoint/cytokine work in EMT6 or CT26). These models retain intact immunity and support immunotherapy evaluation.
Choose orthotopic xenografts for human tumor biology, receptor-driven questions (e.g., ER+ MCF7), or organ barriers (e.g., BBB in U87 GBM).
Several xenograft models are available with stable Luc2 expression for noninvasive bioluminescence imaging, including:
- LN229-Luc2
- MCF7-Luc2
- HCT-15-Luc2
- HepG2-Luc2
- PANC-1-Luc2
- LNCaP-Luc2
Yes. We run orthotopic implantations with serial IVIS/BLI, histology, and survival endpoints, enabling both growth and spontaneous metastasis readouts in the same cohorts.