Lung Cancer Model - Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC)

Discover how Melior’s unique phenotypic screening platforms can uncover the untapped value of your candidate therapeutic

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, accounting for approximately one-fifth of all cancer deaths.

Recent advances in lung cancer treatment include the use of immunotherapy, such as with checkpoint inhibition, which harnesses the body’s immune system to attack the cancer cells.  Drugs such as pembrolizumab and nivolumab have been approved by the FDA for use in treating advanced non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and have shown remarkable results in improving patient outcomes.  Other advances in precision medicine have allowed for the development of personalized treatment plans based on the individual patient’s genetic profile.

Despite these advances, there remains a significant medical need for new therapies for lung cancer, particularly for patients with advanced disease who have limited treatment options. There is a pressing need for effective treatments that can overcome resistance to existing therapies, and for therapies that can be used in combination with other treatments to improve outcomes.  Melior’s lung cancer mouse models are an important tool towards this end.

The Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) cell line is a widely used model to study lung cancer.  This syngeneic tumor model, which employs mouse derived tumor cells (LLC cells) complements Melior’s xenograft lung cancer model which uses human A549 cells.  LLC cells were originally established from a primary tumor in a C57BL/6 mouse in 1982 and have since been used in numerous studies to investigate the biology and behavior of lung cancer. The LLC cell line is highly representative of the human adenocarcinoma subtype of lung cancer, which is the most common form of lung cancer.  LLC cells have been used extensively to study the effect of chemotherapy drugs, radiation therapy, and other treatments, as well as to study the mechanisms of drug resistance in lung cancer cells. The Lewis Lung cancer model also been used to investigate the role of specific genetic mutations in lung cancer and the effects of specific signaling pathways in the regulation of lung cancer cell behavior.

Chemotherapy Validation of Lewis Lung Cancer Model. This lung cancer mouse model was created by injecting 2 x106 LLC cells into the rear flank of C57Bl/6 mice. Once mean tumor size reached 100~150mm3, the mice were randomized into 3 groups (Day 12): vehicle (IP normal saline), paclitaxel (30 mg/kg, IP twice per week) or cisplatin (4 mg/kg, IP twice per week). Tumor volume was monitored twice per week using calipers (A). At the end of the study (Day 23) animals were sacrificed, tumors excised and weighed (B, C). Both cisplatin and paclitaxel significantly inhibited tumor growing (Data are mean ± SEM; n=8 for vehicle, n=5 for both paclitaxel and cisplatin; ** P<0.01, *** P<0.001 by Student’s t-test)t.

Melior can initiate your lung cancer mouse model study with very short lead times and with bespoke study design to suit your needs. Including time to establish tumor-bearing mice (~2 weeks) and typical treatment times (~2 weeks) these studies normally run for approximately 4-5 weeks