Simultaneous Vascular Targeting and Tumor Targeting of Cerebral Breast Cancer Metastases Using a T Cell Receptor Mimic Antibody

The goal of the project is to demonstrate uptake and therapeutic effect of a specific monoclonal antibody, RL6A, by brain metastases of human breast cancer cells in a mouse model. In this report we describe the results from a series of severely immune compromised NSG mice, which had stereotaxically implanted tumor xenografts in the striatum. Treatment with the RL6A antibody specific for a tumor antigen or an istotype control did not show differences in survival. However, these mice frequently developed bone metastases in the skull, which is unintended and interferes with the in vivo imaging of tumor growth. Custom breeding of a novel mouse strain, which should be better suited for this project is currently in progress at Jackson Laboratories and availability of mice for experimental use is expected for fall 2015. In the past year we were successful in establishing a method to isolate pure populations of viable human tumor cells from the brain tumors in mouse brain in high yield.