Building a better mouse

One of the difficulties in developing cancer therapeutics is the lack of mouse models that accurately portray cancer progression in humans. AntiCancer Inc. believes that its MetaMouse model gives researchers value in its ability to predict a tumor's behavior and metastasis in the human body. But such accuracy is not without its price, as the product involves a difficult surgical procedure.

"We take primary tumors from patients and implant them into organs of nude mice corresponding to the cancer," said Ray Magana, general manager at AntiCancer. "Although new blo-od vessels and some supporting tissue come from the mou-se, most of the characteristics of the tumor - most notably the DNA - remain human."...