Application of Animal Models in Cancer Research: Recent Progress and Future Prospects

Abstract

Zhitao Li,1,* Wubin Zheng,1,* Hanjin Wang,1,* Ye Cheng,1 Yijiao Fang,2,3 Fan Wu,1 Guoqiang Sun,1 Guangshun Sun,1 Chengyu Lv,1 Bingqing Hui4 1Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Anesthesiology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Chengyu Lv; Bingqing Hui Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Animal models refers to the animal experimental objects and related materials that can simulate human body established in medical research. As the second-largest disease in terms of morbidity and mortality after cardiovascular disease, cancer has always been the focus of human attention all over the world, which makes it a research hotspot in the medical field. At the same time, more and more animal models have been constructed and used in cancer research. With the deepening of research, the construction methods of cancer animal models are becoming more and more diverse, including chemical induction, xenotransplantation, gene programming, and so on. In recent years, patient-derived xenotransplantation (PDX) model has become a research hotspot because it can retain the microenvironment of the primary tumor and the basic characteristics of cells. Animal models can be used not only to study the biochemical and physiological processes of the occurrence and development of cancer in objects but also for the screening of cancer drugs and the exploration of gene therapy. In this paper, several main tumor animal models and the application progress of animal models in tumor research are systematically reviewed. Finally, combined with the latest progress and development trend in this field, the future research of tumor animal model was prospected.Keywords: animal model, cancer, patient-derived xenotransplantation model, PDX model, tumor microenvironment

Keywords

• animal model
• cancer
• patient-derived xenotransplantation (pdx) model
• tumor microenvironment