The SK-OV-3 Xenograft Model for Human Ovarian Cancer

Investigate therapies in a drug-resistant ovarian cancer model

Ovarian cancer affects approximately 1 in 87 women over their lifetime. 35.3% of mucinous ovarian carcinomas exhibit HER2 overexpression, which is associated with resistance to TNF-mediated cytotoxicity.

The SK-OV-3 cell line exhibits this HER2 overexpression and is resistant to other cytotoxic drugs, such as diphtheria toxin, cisplatin, and adriamycin, in addition to TNF-mediated cytotoxicity. Thus, it is valuable in the study of drug-resistant ovarian cancer.

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Decades of discovery translated to a xenograft model

The SK-OV-3 cell line was first isolated in 1973 from the ascitic fluid of a 64-year-old Caucasian female diagnosed with ovarian adenocarcinoma and has supported over 50 years of research into therapeutic development for ovarian cancer.

Cell lines provide an essential foundation for cancer research but are limited by their two-dimensional growth environment, which fails to replicate the complexity of actual tumors. The SK-OV-3 xenograft model overcomes this limitation by growing the cells in a three-dimensional system that mimics the tumor microenvironment. This enables more accurate assessments of drug efficacy, tumor behavior, and therapeutic potential in vivo.

Get your candidates to the clinic faster with a xenograft of an established cell line.

Advantages of the SK-OV-3 model

Gain insights into metastasis with a model that mimics ovarian tumor spread.
Ensure reliable experiments with consistent tumor growth.
Elevate a well-studied cell line to an in vivo environment.
Shorten timelines with models ready for treatment 4 weeks post-cell inoculation.

Customize your SK-OV-3 xenograft study

Tailor your ovarian cancer research with bespoke services, including PK analysis, flow cytometry, ELISA, and tissue sample collection for biomarker evaluation.

Enhance your study’s depth with histology, H&E staining, and imaging options tailored to your research goals.

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We chose Melior Discovery because they were responsive and cost effective. We are staying with them as a chosen scientific partner because of their thoughtful scientific input to experimental design and attention to detail. Their expertise and flexibility allowed us to quickly adapt the study design and evaluate additional outcome measures to pursue unexpected activity.
Sridharan Rajamani, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist
Gilead Sciences
I have been working with Melior on a number of projects over the course of a few years now. They have been a great partner throughout this time. The scientists whom I have worked with have been great problem-solvers and were customer focused.
Jay Lichter
Avalon Ventures
Melior provided State-of-the-art Preclinical Pharmacology Support for a period of nearly a year where a series of in vivo studies were completed on a weekly basis. The staff was extremely user-friendly and the operational processes were excellent. I can recommend Melior without reservation.
Richard DiMarchi, PhD
Cox Professor of Chemistry & Gill Chair in Biomolecular Sciences Indiana University, Department of Chemistry
Because Melior could do the orthotopic intracranial implants, we were able to do survival studies with brain tumor-bearing animals that were treated with our therapy, showing a beautiful survival with our agent versus control. Talk about something that gets your investors going! These beautiful survival curves with our agent versus control and visual photos are in all of our investor decks because… it's powerful.
Bruce Ruggeri, Ph.D.
Modifi Bio
Melior works in many therapeutic areas, like CNS, inflammatory disease, GI, cardiovascular, and oncology. I was very pleased that when it came to doing tumor studies, both subcutaneous and intracranial, they did them well. They reported on the studies on time and did the data analysis really well.
Bruce Ruggeri, Ph.D.
Modifi Bio
Their areas of expertise are extensive, and they are very experienced, responsive, and flexible in terms of how the study is run. Their pricing is reasonable, making them the best option for a young, not well-funded company like ours.
Maxine Gowen
Tamuro Bio
Melior’s team was very experienced and knowledgeable. They were always very open to suggestions and questions, spending a lot of time helping us feel comfortable with the study design. I would give them very high marks.
Maxine Gowen
Tamuro Bio
The most important factors in choosing to work with Melior were the fit between the tests they could run and our needs, as well as their tight budget and proximity. Melior was the best fit for our research goals.
Ira Spector
SFA Therapeutics

Human ovarian cancer SK-OV-3 xenograft model. 3×10⁶ SK-OV-3 cells were subcutaneously injected into the rear flank of nude mice. Once the tumor size reached ~100 mm³ (Day 28), mice were randomized into vehicle control group (treated with normal saline) or paclitaxel (20 mg/kg IP once/week). The growth of tumors was monitored twice per week using calipers (A). At the end of the study (Day 42), animals were sacrificed, tumors excised, and weighed (B, C). Data area mean +/- SEM. N=5. * P< 0.05, ** P < 0.01, *** P< 0.001 by Student’s t-test.

Publications

Ersoy, E., Cao, Q. J., & Otis, C. N. (2022). HER2 Protein Overexpression and Gene Amplification in Tubo-Ovarian High-grade Serous Carcinomas. International journal of gynecological pathology : official journal of the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists, 41(4), 313–319.

Faratian, D., Zweemer, A. J., Nagumo, Y., Sims, A. H., Muir, M., Dodds, M., Mullen, P., Um, I., Kay, C., Hasmann, M., Harrison, D. J., & Langdon, S. P. (2011). Trastuzumab and pertuzumab produce changes in morphology and estrogen receptor signaling in ovarian cancer xenografts revealing new treatment strategies. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, 17(13), 4451–4461.

Jiang, D., Im, H. J., Sun, H., Valdovinos, H. F., England, C. G., Ehlerding, E. B., Nickles, R. J., Lee, D. S., Cho, S. Y., Huang, P., & Cai, W. (2017). Radiolabeled pertuzumab for imaging of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression in ovarian cancer. European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, 44(8), 1296–1305.

Kim, Y. N., Chung, Y. S., Park, E., Lee, S. T., & Lee, J. Y. (2024). Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 expression and subsequent dynamic changes in patients with ovarian cancer. Scientific reports, 14(1), 7992.

Yi, C., Zhang, L., Li, L., Liu, X., Ling, S., Zhang, F., & Liang, W. (2014). Establishment of an orthotopic transplantation tumor model in nude mice using a drug-resistant human ovarian cancer cell line with a high expression of c-Kit. Oncology letters, 8(6), 2611–2615.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the timeline for preparing the SK-OV-3 model?

The SK-OV-3 xenograft model is ready for treatment approximately four weeks after cell inoculation, with a typical treatment window of three to four weeks. This timeline supports efficient preclinical research planning.

How are SK-OV-3 cells implanted in the xenograft model?

SK-OV-3 cells can be implanted subcutaneously into the rear flank or orthotopically into the ovary of immunocompromised mice (nude or SCID).

What drugs is the SK-OV-3 cell line resistant to?

SK-OV-3 cells are resistant to several cytotoxic drugs, including:

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
Diphtheria toxin
Cisplatin
Adriamycin

This resistance is partly attributed to the cell line’s overexpression of HER2 and intermediate expression of EGFR, which provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of drug resistance and receptor-targeted therapies.

The SK-OV-3 Xenograft Model for Human Ovarian Cancer

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