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Updated: Aug 24, 2025
Using the Chicken Chorioallantoic Membrane In Vivo Model to Study Gynecological and Urological Cancers
Published on: January 28, 2020
Establishment of a ccRCC patient-derived chick chorioallantoic membrane model for drug testing
Martine Charbonneau1, Kelly Harper1, Karine Brochu-Gaudreau1
1Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
Abstract:
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is an aggressive subtype of renal cell carcinoma accounting for the majority of deaths in kidney cancer patients. Advanced ccRCC has a high mortality rate as most patients progress and develop resistance to currently approved targeted therapies, highlighting the ongoing need for adequate drug testing models to develop novel therapies. Current animal models are expensive and time-consuming. In this study, we investigated the use of the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM), a rapid and cost-effective model, as a complementary drug testing model for ccRCC. Our results indicated that tumor samples from ccRCC patients can be successfully cultivated on the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) within 7 days while retaining their histopathological characteristics. Furthermore, treatment of ccRCC xenografts with sunitinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used for the treatment of metastatic RCC, allowed us to evaluate differential responses of individual patients. Our results indicate that the CAM model is a complementary in vivo model that allows for rapid and cost-effective evaluation of ccRCC patient response to drug therapy. Therefore, this model has the potential to become a useful platform for preclinical evaluation of new targeted therapies for the treatment of ccRCC.
Insights
The chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model rapidly and affordably tests clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) drug responses. This complementary in vivo model aids in evaluating new targeted therapies for kidney cancer patients.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Experimental Pathology
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is an aggressive kidney cancer subtype with high mortality.
- Advanced ccRCC often develops resistance to targeted therapies, necessitating new treatment strategies.
- Existing animal models for drug testing are costly and time-consuming.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) as a rapid, cost-effective drug testing model for ccRCC.
- To assess the CAM model's ability to maintain ccRCC histopathology and patient-specific drug responses.
Main Methods:
- Cultivating ccRCC patient tumor samples on the CAM for 7 days.
- Establishing ccRCC xenografts on the CAM.
- Treating ccRCC xenografts with sunitinib to assess differential patient responses.
Main Results:
- ccRCC patient tumors were successfully cultured on the CAM within 7 days, preserving histopathological features.
- The CAM model allowed for the evaluation of differential patient responses to sunitinib treatment.
- The model demonstrated potential for rapid and cost-effective drug response assessment.
Conclusions:
- The CAM model serves as a valuable complementary in vivo platform for ccRCC drug testing.
- This model facilitates the preclinical evaluation of novel targeted therapies for kidney cancer.
- The CAM model offers a rapid and cost-effective approach to personalized medicine in ccRCC treatment.
