Director:
Professor of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Contact Information:
Name: Tien Hsu
Phone: 843-792-0638
Location: 317 Hollings Cancer Center
Description:
This Core consists of 4 facilities: Transgenic, Gene Targeting and Knockout, Xenograft, and Carcinogenesis. Transgenic and Gene Targeting facilities are essential genetic tools for studying mammalian gene functions in vivo, by testing the over-expression and loss-of-function mutations in animal development and in tumor susceptibility, respectively. In addition, Transgenic technology can be used in generating tissue-specific expression vehicles that can be utilized in creating conditional knockouts, either by Cre recombinase or by siRNA expression. Xenograft of human cancer cells or tissues into immune deficient mice is an indispensable step in correlating in vitro cell biology studies of cancer biology with tumorigenicity in vivo. The tumor grown in mice can also serve as a realistic test model for new therapeutics. For studying specific cancer types, the Carcinogenesis facility is able to generate several organ-specific cancers in rodents; they are invaluable tools for testing the function and therapeutic values of specific genes and therapies. The Cancer Animal Model Core combines the existing expertise of these four facilities to form a comprehensive service to assist cancer researchers at HCC.
Services:
Xenograft of human cancer cells or tissues into immune deficient mice is an indispensable step in correlating in vitro cell biology studies of cancer biology with tumorigenicity in vivo. The Xenograft component of the Cancer Animal Models Core:
Offers immunodeficient SCID mice at reduced rates to MUSC investigators and provide pathogen-free working area for in vivo experiments.
Provides appropriate housing and maintenance for these animals, as well as technical expertise to facilitate in vivo experiments.
Provides technical personnel to instruct or assist investigators with their mouse experiments, and perform optional services such as engrafting tumor samples or survival surgery. 
