Figure 1
Illustration of study design and outcomes of biopsy engraftment. (A) Illustration of biopsy procedure and implantation process. As part of an observational clinical trial, tumor biopsies were obtained from patients with HCC immediately prior to transarterial chemoembolization using an 18 gauge BioPince core biopsy needle. Individual biopsies were then mixed with Matrigel and injected subcutaneously into the flanks of NSG mice. Early attempts at injecting biopsy samples without Matrigel resulted in the growth of lymphoid tumors at sites distant from the injection site. Upon the addition of Matrigel, we observed growth of tumors at the site of injection. (B) Table of the tumor take rate as well as the number tumors identified in each location for NSG mice implanted using two different protocols. Biopsies were implanted with or without Matrigel from a total 11 different patients. Dark orange or dark green indicates tumor lymphoid or HCC/CHC tumor development, respectively. (C) Growth curves for subcutaneous flank tumors that developed after biopsy implantation using Matrigel. Connected plot points identify tumors that eventually grew to sizes above 200 mm3. Solid lines indicate growth of tumors that were subsequently characterized as HCCs while dotted lines indicate growth of tumors that were subsequently characterized as lymphoid.
