Patient-derived Xenograft Core Facility (PDXCF)

Pugacheva, Elena

Abstract

The Patient-Derived Xenograft Core Facility (PDXCF) has been recently established and evolved from institutional investments in a breeding colony of immunodeficient (NSG) mice, and the efforts of a cancer research investigator who worked to develop tractable animal models of human tumors. The mission of the PDXCF is to generate cutting edge cancer models that closely resemble heterogeneous human cancers for investigators in the Tumor Microenvironment (TME) Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (CoBRE) as the top priority, and to investigators across the campus to broaden overall impact of this resource. This core will enable enhanced understanding of the TME, facilitate development of novel cancer therapeutics, and improve pre-clinical drug evaluation. Services offered to investigators will be tailored to best fit the needs of research projects in the TME CoBRE. The PDXCF core will provide the following services: 1) transplantation of tissue samples provided by investigators to produce new PDX lines; 2) propagation of established PDX lines; and 3) assistance with submission of IRB and IACUC protocols/amendments. By expanding the research infrastructure, this core facility enables researchers to be more competitive for extramural funding, establish and grow productive research programs, and improve the process of translating basic science to therapeutic application. The proposal describes services provided by the facility along with its management plan, fee structure, prioritization, quality assurance plan, and strategies to sustain the facility over the life of the project and beyond.
The Specific Aims of the WVU PDXCF are: 1) to advance the translational research and optimal productivity of the Project Leaders (PLs); 2) to support and develop the core for applications outside the initial TME CoBRE project leaders, and to support the activities of the WVUCI and other WV Institutional Development Award (IDeA) programs that share the overarching goal to reduce cancer health disparities through innovative translational science. Importantly, this core facility will increase the availability of tumor cells from a patient population that is underrepresented in currently available commercial PDX sources.