The B16F10 Tumor Model for Melanoma

Validate treatment efficacy and tackle the deadliest skin cancer with B16F10 syngeneic mouse models.

Melanoma accounts for approximately 1.3% of all cancer deaths, with new cases projected to rise an average of 1.2% each year1. To make matters worse, melanoma treatment has one of the lowest success rates compared to other malignancies2.

Partner with Melior to confidently accelerate your in vivo efficacy evaluations of melanoma therapies, including targeted therapy, cytotoxic drugs, checkpoint inhibitors, and gene therapies.

Metastatic melanoma: The deadliest skin cancer

Skin cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and melanoma are the most common types of cancer3. While less common, malignant melanoma is highly aggressive and will rapidly metastasize to other parts of the body, causing more deaths than any other type of skin cancer3.

Like many cancers, early detection dramatically improves survival rates with a 99.5% 5 year survival rate for localized melanoma1. Once melanoma has spread to regional lymph nodes or metastasized to distant locations, it becomes more difficult to treat and is often fatal with the 5 year survival rate dropping to 70.6% and 31.9%, respectively1.

This creates an urgent need for better immunotherapies targeting later stages of the disease.

Develop your immunotherapies with B16F10 syngeneic mouse models

The B16 cell line of murine melanoma exhibits spindle-shaped and epithelial-like cells that are isolated from spontaneous melanoma derived from C57BL/6 mice4. B16F10 is the most commonly used variant. It was generated as the 10th serial passage subclone of the parent B16 tumor line5. B16F10 is highly aggressive. Researchers choose it for its ability to produce distant metastases upon subcutaneous, orthotopic, and intravenous injection4.

You can use our established B16F10 syngeneic mouse model for evaluating responses to immuno-oncology agents and for developing novel therapeutic agents. This model is especially valuable for checkpoint efficacy studies because melanoma responds well to anti-PD1 and other checkpoint inhibitors.

B16F10 tumor models can provide insight into human treatment responses and aid in the discovery of new therapeutics for melanoma.

Enhance your predictive ability with B16F10 tumor models

You can set up our B16F10 syngeneic mouse model in subcutaneous, orthotopic intradermal, or metastatic modes. It is valuable for preclinical study with chemotherapy and immunotherapy candidates (e.g., checkpoint inhibitors). Because this model comes from a mouse-derived cancer line and utilizes immunocompetent mice, you can study how your therapies work with an intact immune system.

Subcutaneous

In subcutaneous models, tumors are implanted in the fat layer, under the skin. This technique requires a precise and consistent injection technique that is minimally invasive and does not require anesthesia.

Orthotopic intradermal

In orthotopic intradermal models the tumor cell line is implanted just below the epidermis. Because the skin tissue matches the tumor histotype, it creates a more disease-relevant environment for assessing tumor growth.

Metastatic

Metastatic models allow for the research of advanced (stage 3 and 4) melanoma. This method involves inoculating mice via intravenous (tail vein) injections after which the melanoma quickly colonizes the lungs4.

Did you know we can help you choose the B16F10 syngeneic mouse model that suits your research needs?

Our melanoma research and model selection expertise ensures you get the most relevant and effective experimental setup. We offer guidance on different modes, including subcutaneous for easy monitoring of tumor growth, orthotopic for a more physiologically relevant tumor environment, and metastatic for studying the spread of cancer and metastatic behavior.

Maximize your study findings with custom tools and services

Get the most out of your study by integrating custom services and analyses. We help you design your study and select the appropriate tissues for immune analysis and profiling including tumor, spleen, and lymph nodes.

Some of our services include:

  • Tissue collection for immune cell analysis and profiling
  • Whole blood, spleen, and lymph node analysis
  • General observations
  • Metabolic analyses
  • Histology and IHC
  • Pain analysis
  • IVIS imaging
  • PK studies

Looking for something more bespoke?

We understand that your research questions are unique. Advance your immunotherapy and transform skin cancer treatments with our validated melanoma mouse model and fully customizable study designs.

Don’t see what you’re looking for?

Expand your applications with Immuno-theraTRACE

Our oncology platform, immuno-theraTRACE, allows you to test your immunotherapeutic in 8 syngeneic models simultaneously. In this way you can determine the best target cancer type towards which to advance your immunotherapy.

In addition to testing your drug in our B16F10 melanoma model, immuno-theraTRACE, lets you simultaneously analyze your immunotherapies in 7 other tumor types and get results in just 8 weeks.

This model is included in our Immuno-theraTRACE® oncology platform

B16f10 chemotherapy

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).

B16f10 chemotherapy

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor and chemotherapy Validation in Melanoma B16F10 Experimental Metastatic Model. 2 x105 B16F10 were injected into the tail vein in C57B6 mice. The mice were randomized into groups and treated with vehicle (n=8), anti-PD1(10mg/kg, IP weekly; n=5) or paclitaxel (20mg/kg, IP weekly; n=5). The treatments began 1 week after injection. The body weights were monitored twice per week. The lungs were removed and weighted at the end. Both anti-PD1 and paclitaxel significantly inhibited lung metastases (both p<0.005; Data are mean ± SEM).

B16f10 Growth Curves

Chemotherapy Validation in Melanoma B16F10 Subcutaneous Tumor Model. 2.5 x105 B16F10 were subcutaneously injected into the rear flank of C57B6 mice. Once the tumor size reached 75-100mm3, mice were randomized into groups and treated with vehicle or cisplatin (4mg/kg, IP twice per week). Cisplatin significantly inhibited tumor growing (p<0.001;Data are mean ± SEM; n=12 for each group).

Publications

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the B16F10 melanoma mouse model?

The B16F10 syngeneic mouse model uses the B16 cell line derived from spontaneous melanoma from C57BL/6 mice. When B16F10 cells are injected into mice, they form tumors and can metastasize, mimicking the progression of human melanoma. This model is widely used in cancer research and drug development.

What is the difference between B16F1 and B16F10?

B16F1 and B16F10 are both sublines of the B16 murine melanoma cell line. The primary difference between the two lines is their metastatic potential. B16F10 is the most commonly used variant of the B16 cell because it is highly aggressive, making it the researchers’ choice for studying the mechanisms of metastasis and testing treatments to prevent or reduce metastatic spread. B16F1 cells, with their lower metastatic potential, are often used in studies focusing more on primary tumor growth and localized tumor behavior.

What is the syngeneic model of lung cancer?

The B16F10 tumor model is used for studying melanoma. However, murine lung cancer cell lines are also transplanted into genetically identical or syngeneic mice to create a syngeneic model for lung cancer. The most widely used syngeneic model for lung cancer is the LLC model.

Citations

  1. Melanoma of the Skin – Cancer Stat Facts. SEER. Accessed December 7, 2022. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/melan.html
  2. Kuzu OF, Nguyen FD, Noory MA, Sharma A. Current State of Animal (Mouse) Modeling in Melanoma Research. Cancer Growth Metastasis. 2015;8(Suppl 1):81-94. doi:10.4137/CGM.S21214
  3. Skin Cancer (Including Melanoma)—Patient Version – NCI. Accessed December 7, 2022. https://www.cancer.gov/types/skin
  4. Overwijk WW, Restifo NP. B16 as a Mouse Model for Human Melanoma. Curr Protoc Immunol. 2001;CHAPTER:Unit-20.1. doi:10.1002/0471142735.im2001s39
  5. Nakamura K, Yoshikawa N, Yamaguchi Y, Kagota S, Shinozuka K, Kunitomo M. Characterization of mouse melanoma cell lines by their mortal malignancy using an experimental metastatic model. Life Sci. 2002;70(7):791-798. doi:10.1016/s0024-3205(01)01454-0