The Use of Mouse Models to Study Leukemia/Lymphoma and Assess Therapeutic Approaches

Abstract

The fields of leukemia and lymphoma research have significantly advanced over the recent years as a result of the establishment of cell lines that reflect several aspects of the human disease These cell lines have been employed in all phases of preclinical research from the immunization of mice to generate new therapeutic antibodies to proof of concept and target validation experiments In addition several transgenic mouse or genetically engineered mouse models have been developed that recapitulate many aspects of both leukemia and lymphoma These models are particularly well suited to the exploration of interactions between tumor and stromal cells and the progression of cancer as it relates to its microenvironment Therapeutic antibodies including ofatumumab and epratuzumab are currently undergoing clinical trial evaluation based on their activity in models such as these Xenograft tumor models have been especially instrumental in studies addressing mechanism of action and in evaluating combination therapies This chapter will primarily explore the use of human cells in xenograft tumor systems as models for evaluating therapeutic approaches