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Updated: Aug 8, 2026
Modeling Primary Bone Tumors and Bone Metastasis with Solid Tumor Graft Implantation into Bone
Published on: September 9, 2020
A novel human osteoblast-derived severe combined immunodeficiency mouse model of bone metastasis
James Schuster1, Jun Zhang, Maria Longo
1Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19072, USA. schustej@uphs.upenn.edu
Object:
One of the major difficulties of conducting bone metastasis research is the lack of adequate models for studying the bone-tumor microenvironment. The limitations of current in vivo models include the following: non-human tumor or bone, variable reproducibility, limited supply, and an inability to be easily manipulated. The objective of the present study was to develop a uniform and reproducible model of bone/spine metastasis by utilizing bone derived from human osteoblasts grown subcutaneously in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice with subsequent introduction of human carcinoma cell lines.
Methods:
Human osteoblasts were serially passed in culture and induced to differentiate into mature osteoblasts. They were subsequently loaded on hydroxyapatite-coated collagen sponges and implanted subcutaneously into the SCID mice. After allowing the bone to mature for 8 weeks, tumor cell suspensions were implanted percutaneously into the bone. The bone-tumor complexes were subsequently harvested, decalcified, and prepared for histological examination.
Conclusions:
The authors have developed a novel, reproducible SCID mouse model of bone/spine metastasis by using bone derived from human osteoblasts and subsequently introduced human tumor lines. They believe this model will be useful for studying the basic biology of bone metastases.
