Abstract B15: Increased clinical relevance of orthotopic glioma models through bioluminescence and MR imaging.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and most aggressive form of malignant primary brain tumors, affecting nearly 35,000 people in the United States. Most preclinical studies in glioma utilize survival as the primary endpoint to study, which provides limited information about disease progression, tumor burden response to treatment (a primary clinical end point). We have characterized two human glioma cell lines, Gli36 and LN827 that were modified to express luciferase in order to enable in vivo monitoring of disease progression and response to treatment using bioluminescence imaging (BLI). Anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was also performed to directly correlate bioluminescence signal with tumor volume. Both models exhibited >90% tumor take-rate and responded to treatment with temozolomide, a clinical standard of care. Analysis of lifespan, tumor volume doubling times, and tumor growth delay all indicated that BLI is a reliable indicator of disease progression and response to treatment. BLI-based endpoints also showed good correlation with MR-based endpoints. These results support the use of in vivo imaging in these modified cell lines for longitudinal monitoring of tumor progression and response to therapy. Imaging was not only a reliable method for quantifying tumor burden, but enabled clinically relevant end points that could not be accessed through non-imaging means or lifespan determination alone. Further utility can be driven in these models through the use of other functional imaging end points. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):B15. Citation Format: Deanne Lister, Mary Anne Meade, Tracey Woolliscroft, Deepa Balagurunathan, Erin Trachet, Wilbur Leopold, Patrick McConville. Increased clinical relevance of orthotopic glioma models through bioluminescence and MR imaging. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B15.