Cancer metastasis causes most cancer-associated mortality, yet it remains difficult to treat and renders cancer incurable. Metastasis is a sequence of multiple steps, including invasion from the primary tumor, intravasation, transport, extravasation, and colonization at distant organs. The need for tumor cell motility in the progression of metastasis has been established experimentally and is supported by clinical research. However, currently only few clinical interventions are designed to specifically target motility of tumor cell, and therapies specifically used to prevent cancer cell metastasis are severely limited.
In attempts to identify key molecules involved in cell motility and cancer metastasis, our lab established in vitro and in vivo methods to select cancer cells prone to metastasize. We used the migration or invasion chamber to select fast-migrating or fast-invading cancer cells in the in vitro assay. We also orthotopically implanted cancer cells into their original organ and collected metastasized cells in the in vivo assay. These selected cells harbor a higher potential to metastasize and by comparing these cells and primary cells through genomic or proteomic research, we may find important molecules with therapeutic potential to target cancer metastasis.
In Vivo Orthotopic Implantation Assay