Modeling Canine B-cell Lymphoma Complexity Through Serial Transplantation in Immunodeficient Mice

The value of comparative oncology to both dogs and humans has long been recognized, but the progress in cBCL research has been hampered by a scarcity of preclinical models. This study aimed to establish and characterize novel patient-derived xenograft (PDX) and cell line models from primary cBCL tumors to address this critical gap.

To this end, primary cBCL tumors from three canine patients were surgically excised and serially transplanted into immunodeficient NOD scid gamma (NSG) mice. The resulting PDX models were characterized across passages using histology, flow cytometry, SNP genotyping, and RNA sequencing, the results of which show that they retain much of their original characteristics, even after multiple NSG passages. Cancer cells from two of the PDX lines were successfully adapted to in vitro culture, establishing two new permanent cell lines, one of which was then used in drug sensitivity assays.