Inhibition of pulmonary metastasis in a human MT3 breast cancer xenograft model by dual liposomes preventing intravasal fibrin clot formation

International audienceThe process of metastasis formation in cancer is not completely understood and is the main reason cancer therapies fail. Previously, we showed that dual liposomes simultaneously containing the hemostatic inhibitor, dipyridamole and the anticancer drug, perifosine potently inhibited metastasis, causing a 90% reduction in the number of lung metastases in a murine experimental metastasis model. To gain deeper insight into the mechanisms leading to the inhibition of metastasis by these dual liposomes, in the present study, the development of metastases by MT3 breast cancer cells in a mouse xenograft model was analyzed in more detail with regard to tumor cell settlement and metastatic growth. We found that the development of lung metastases by MT3 tumor cells is essentially dependent on the formation of fibrin clots as a precondition for the pulmonary arrest of tumor cells and the subsequent intravascular expansion of micrometastases before their invasion into the surrounding tissue

Development and application of home cage monitoring in laboratory mice and rats: a systematic review

We are conducting a systematic review on home cage monitoring in laboratory mice and rats. A major advantage of home cage monitoring is that the animals can be examined in their home environment, which reduces stress and allows to monitor the animals 24/7. Moreover, this approach minimizes the influence of the human presence on the animals’ behavior. Therefore, home cage-based monitoring is interesting for phenotyping in mice and rats since it may reduce data variability and improve reproducibility. In addition, it can provide a useful tool for welfare assessment. The requirements for home cage monitoring changed over the last decades driven by technology and digitalization. The goal of this systematic review is to identify these historical changes and describe the current state of the art. After phase 1 (title/Abstract screening), it was decided to perform phase 2 (full text screening) and phase 3 (data extraction) simultaneously. Therefore, an updated protocol was uploaded