The LLC Tumor Model for Lung Cancer

Screen your groundbreaking chemotherapeutics using the trusted Lewis lung carcinoma mouse model.

Lung cancer is a significant public health concern. This common and serious cancer has the highest mortality rates of all cancer types. Chemotherapy continues to be a crucial component of lung cancer treatment, but there is still a considerable need for more efficient therapies.

Evaluate your novel cancer therapeutics with Melior’s reliable Lewis lung carcinoma mouse (LLC) model.

The Current LLC Treatment Landscape

The multifaceted landscape for treating lung cancer continues to evolve. Chemotherapy remains a core component of the comprehensive management of lung cancer, with more than 60% of cancer patients over the age of 20 receiving chemotherapy as part of their treatment plan.

While chemotherapy remains an essential part of lung cancer treatment, there remains a significant need for more effective medicines, particularly for improving outcomes for patients with late-progression and treatment-resistant lung cancers.

Melior’s lung cancer models are an important tool to achieve this.

Evaluate Your Chemotherapeutic With The LLC Tumor Model

Scientists have used the LLC tumor model extensively since 1982 to study the effect of chemotherapy drugs, radiation therapy, and other lung cancer treatments. Numerous investigative studies rely on this model. These include inquiries that explore the role of specific genetic mutations in lung cancer and look at the complex biology and behavior of the disease.

The syngeneic model utilizes tumor cells from the lung of a C57BL/6 mouse and is widely used owing to its consistent tumor growth rates. The LLC tumor model is highly representative of the most common human adenocarcinoma subtype and has facilitated significant advancements in the search for novel lung cancer treatments.

This lung cancer model is complementary to our A549 lung xenograft model, making it the perfect first-pass screening tool for your chemotherapy R&D. The LLC tumor model’s intact immune system can be utilized for the study of novel classes of immune-oncology therapies.

Work With Consistency Using The LLC Tumor Model

Our well-established lung cancer model is an early screening tool for your novel chemotherapeutic that ensures you progress with the best candidates.

Experience an LLC tumor model that is:

  • Fast growing
  • Extensively used in the field
  • Consistent tumor growth rates for chemotherapeutic development
  • Compatible with Melior’s xenograft lung cancer model
  • Highly representative of the human adenocarcinoma subtype

Tailor-made Services: Designed with You in Mind

The LLC tumor model, like all of our syngeneic mouse models, includes efficient processes and expert guidance.

Our bespoke analyses include:

  • Tissue collection for immune cell analysis and profiling
  • Whole blood, spleen, and lymph node analysis
  • General observations, including pain analysis
  • Histology and IHC
  • Luciferase assay
  • IVIS imaging
  • FACS analysis
  • PK studies

Ready to get started or looking for a custom model?

We offer face-to-face Zoom calls, ad-hoc consultations, and customized study proposals. Take advantage of a direct line to experienced project managers and our hands-on approach to revision support.

Expand Your Applications with Immuno-theraTRACE

If you are looking for a fast and efficient way to screen immune-modulating agents, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, our oncology platform, Immuno-theraTRACE, allows you to test your immunotherapeutic across 8 syngeneic models.

Pair this platform with our LLC tumor model for a complete toolbox that evaluates and advances your immune-modulating agents, including checkpoint inhibitors such as ant-PD-1.

This model is included in our immuno-theraTRACE® oncology platform

Did you know the LLC tumor model is complementary to our A549 xenograft model for lung cancer?

We also offer a xenograft lung cancer model that utilizes A549 cells, a well-established and widely used human cell line. Our A549 xenograft model is particularly excellent for modeling non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors, as it can mimic the growth characteristics, invasive properties, and resistance to chemotherapy.

  • We chose Melior Discovery because they were responsive and cost effective.  We are staying with them as a chosen scientific partner because of their thoughtful scientific input to experimental design and attention to detail.  Their expertise and flexibility allowed us to quickly adapt the study design and evaluate additional outcome measures to pursue unexpected activity.

    Sridharan Rajamani, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist

    Gilead Sciences
  • I have been working with Melior on a number of projects over the course of a few years now.  They have been a great partner throughout this time.  The scientists whom I have worked with have been great problem-solvers and were customer focused.

    Jay Lichter

    Avalon Ventures
  • Melior provided State-of-the-art Preclinical Pharmacology Support for a period of nearly a year where a series of in vivo studies were completed on a weekly basis. The staff was extremely user-friendly and the operational processes were excellent. I can recommend Melior without reservation.

    Richard DiMarchi, PhD

    Cox Professor of Chemistry & Gill Chair in Biomolecular Sciences Indiana University, Department of Chemistry
  • Because Melior could do the orthotopic intracranial implants, we were able to do survival studies with brain tumor-bearing animals that were treated with our therapy, showing a beautiful survival with our agent versus control. Talk about something that gets your investors going! These beautiful survival curves with our agent versus control and visual photos are in all of our investor decks because… it's powerful.

    Bruce Ruggeri, Ph.D.

    Modifi Bio
  • Melior works in many therapeutic areas, like CNS, inflammatory disease, GI, cardiovascular, and oncology. I was very pleased that when it came to doing tumor studies, both subcutaneous and intracranial, they did them well. They reported on the studies on time and did the data analysis really well.

    Bruce Ruggeri, Ph.D.

    Modifi Bio
  • Their areas of expertise are extensive, and they are very experienced, responsive, and flexible in terms of how the study is run. Their pricing is reasonable, making them the best option for a young, not well-funded company like ours.

    Maxine Gowen

    Tamuro Bio
  • Melior’s team was very experienced and knowledgeable. They were always very open to suggestions and questions, spending a lot of time helping us feel comfortable with the study design. I would give them very high marks.

    Maxine Gowen

    Tamuro Bio
  • The most important factors in choosing to work with Melior were the fit between the tests they could run and our needs, as well as their tight budget and proximity. Melior was the best fit for our research goals.

    Ira Spector

    SFA Therapeutics

Chemotherapy Validation of the Lewis Lung Carcinoma Model. This lung cancer model was created by injecting 2 x106 LLC cells into the rear flank of C57Bl/6 mice. Once mean tumor size reached 100~150mm3, the mice were randomized into 3 groups (Day 12): vehicle (IP normal saline), paclitaxel (30 mg/kg, IP twice per week), or cisplatin (4 mg/kg, IP twice per week). Tumor volume was monitored twice per week using calipers (A). At the end of the study (Day 23), animals were sacrificed, and tumors were excised and weighed (B, C). Both cisplatin and paclitaxel significantly inhibited tumor growth. Data are mean ± SEM; n=8 for the vehicle, n=5 for both paclitaxel and cisplatin; ** P<0.01, *** P<0.001 by Student’s t-test.

A Spotlight on Targeted Cancer Therapy

The LLC tumor model has uncovered new drug targets on the nanoscale. For instance, P-selectin is a molecule expressed on cancer cells that has an important role in cancer metastasis. This makes it a potential target for treating late-stage cancers.

Targeted drug delivery systems localize chemotherapeutics to specific target sites where they will have the best efficacy. In the near future, they may play a key role in improving chemotherapy and other cancer treatments.

The LLC tumor model continues to pioneer new strategies that target disparate drug classes on almost any tumor. This work is a bold step toward a world where even the most persistent lung cancers are treatable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the mouse model for lung cancer?

Mouse models for lung cancer include syngeneic models, which involve transplanting lung cancer cells into genetically identical mice, such as the Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells in C57BL/6 mice. This allows for studying tumor-immune system interactions in an intact immune environment. Alternatively, xenografts like the A549 cancer model use human lung cancer cells implanted into immunocompromised mice, enabling the study of human tumor biology and testing of treatments specifically targeting human cancer cells. Melior offers both of these complementary models for lung cancer research and therapeutic development.

What types of studies can be conducted using the LLC tumor model?

The Melior LLC (Lewis Lung Carcinoma) tumor model is versatile and can be used for various types of studies, including:

  • Understanding the mechanisms of lung cancer tumor growth and progression.
  • Investigating the factors that influence lung cancer metastatic behavior.
  • Evaluating the efficacy of new anti-cancer drugs, immunotherapies, and combination treatments in a preclinical setting.
  • Studying the interactions between lung cancer cells and the functional immune system to develop more effective immunotherapies.
  • Identifying potential biomarkers for early detection, prognosis, and response to treatment in lung cancer.
Why should I choose Melior’s LLC tumor model for my lung cancer research?

The LLC tumor model is widely used for lung cancer research due to its syngeneic nature, high reproducibility, and long history of use. When you work with the LLC tumor model from Melior, you can access a comprehensive suite of custom services and additional benefits, like pairing the LLC syngeneic model with the complimentary A549 xenograft model to enhance your lung cancer research.

Citations

  1. World Health Organization (2023) Lung Cancer. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lung-cancer. (Published 26 June 2023, Accessed: 15 August 2023).
  2. National Cancer Institute (2023) Lung Cancer Treatment. Available at: https://progressreport.cancer.gov/treatment/lung_cancer. (Published August 2023, Accessed: 17 August 2023).
  3. Shamay, Y., Elkabets, M., Li, H., Shah, J., Brook, S., Wang, F., Adler, K., Baut, E., Scaltriti, M., Jena, P.V. and Gardner, E.E., 2016. P-selectin is a nanotherapeutic delivery target in the tumor microenvironment. Science translational medicine, 8(345), pp.345ra87-345ra87.