Implementation of Minimally Invasive Brain Tumor Resection in Rodents for High Viability Tissue Collection

The present protocol describes a standardized paradigm for rodent brain tumor resection and tissue preservation. In clinical practice, maximal tumor resection is the standard-of-care treatment for most brain tumors. However, most currently available preclinical brain tumor models either do not include resection, or utilize surgical resection models that are time-consuming and lead to significant postoperative morbidity, mortality, or experimental variability. In addition, performing resection in rodents can be daunting for several reasons, including a lack of clinically comparable surgical tools or protocols and the absence of an established platform for standardized tissue collection. This protocol highlights the use of a multi-functional, non-ablative resection device and an integrated tissue preservation system adapted from the clinical version of the device. The device applied in the present study combines tunable suction and a cylindrical blade at the aperture to precisely probe, cut, and suction tissue. The minimally invasive resection device performs its functions via the same burr hole used for the initial tumor implantation. This approach minimizes alterations to regional anatomy during biopsy or resection surgeries and reduces the risk of significant blood loss. These factors significantly reduced the operative time (<2 min/animal), improved postoperative animal survival, lower variability in experimental groups, and result in high viability of resected tissues and cells for future analyses. This process is facilitated by a blade speed of ~1,400 cycles/min, which allows the harvesting of tissues into a sterile closed system that can be filled with a physiologic solution of choice. Given the emerging importance of studying and accurately modeling the impact of surgery, preservation and rigorous comparative analysis of regionalized tumor resection specimens, and intra-cavity-delivered therapeutics, this unique protocol will expand opportunities to explore unanswered questions about perioperative management and therapeutic discovery for brain tumor patients.