Clinically relevant humanized mouse models of metastatic prostate cancer facilitate therapeutic evaluation

• Published in: Molecular cancer research Vol. 22; no. 9; pp. 826 - 839
• Main Authors: Kostlan, Raymond Joseph, Phoenix, John T, Budreika, Audris, Ferrari, Marina G, Khurana, Neetika, Choi, Jae Eun, Juckette, Kristin, Mahapatra, Somnath, McCollum, Brooke L, Moskal, Russell, Mannan, Rahul, Qiao, Yuanyuan, Vander Griend, Donald J, Chinnaiyan, Arul M, Kregel, Steven
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for Cancer Research 04.09.2024
• Subjects: Cancer Research Resources; Drug Mechanisms; Endocrine-related Cancers; Genitourinary Cancers; Immunology; Immunotherapy; Preclinical Models; Progression, Invasion & Metastasis
• ISSN: 1541-7786; 1557-3125; 1557-3125
• DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-23-0904

There is tremendous need for improved prostate cancer (PCa) models. The mouse prostate is anatomically and developmentally different from the human prostate and does not spontaneously form tumors. Genetically engineered mouse models lack the heterogeneity of human cancer and rarely establish metastatic growth. Human xenografts are an alternative but must rely on an immunocompromised host. Therefore, we generated PCa murine xenograft models with an intact human immune system (huNOG and huNOG-EXL mice) to test whether humanizing tumor-immune interactions would improve modeling of metastatic PCa and the impact of androgen receptor-targeted and immunotherapies. These mice maintain multiple human immune cell lineages, including functional human T-cells and myeloid cells. Implications: To our knowledge, results illustrate the first model of human PCa that has an intact human immune system, metastasizes to clinically relevant locations, responds appropriately to standard-of-care hormonal therapies, and can model both an immunosuppressive and checkpoint-inhibition responsive immune microenvironment.