Cancer Dormancy Institute Service Core

To support approved projects, Cancer Dormancy Institute’s Service Core Advisors Dr. Kadamb and Dr. Singh collaborate closely with leadership, offering guidance and advice to Cancer Center PI’s trainees, and technical staff undertaking the work. They can also coordinate the presentation of proposed projects to the team at the outset.

Cancer Dormancy Institute Service Core Advisors

Rama Kadamb, PhD
Staff Scientist
Email: rama.kadamb@einsteinmed.edu
Telephone: 718-678-1547

Deepak Singh, PhD
Instructor
Email: deepak.singh@einsteinmed.edu
Telephone: 718-678-1109

We maintain an updated list of dormancy and reactivation markers and mediators that can be used in vitro, in vivo and in human sample studies, and we have validated antibodies and protocols for their detection across in vitro, in vivo and human samples. Senescence markers can be employed to distinguish dormant cancer cells. Other available methods include using DEPArrayTM and other rare cell isolation tools to isolate and profile circulating tumor cells (CTCs) or disseminated cancer cells in the lungs, brain, lymph nodes and bone marrow of mice, as well as isolating human CTCs.

We can provide access to gene signatures that inform on programs of dormancy in stem cells, cancer cells and embryonic stem cells, as well as signatures derived from senescent fibroblasts and other cancer models where dormancy was induced by pharmacological or genetic manipulation.

We provide information on commercially available small molecules, morphogens and biomolecules capable of inducing states of cancer cell dormancy and can advise on how to implement such pharmacological treatments.

We maintain a repository of commonly used murine and human cell lines used in cancer dormancy and metastasis studies.

We provide technical help to establish 3D cultures, organoids, spheroids and cell tracing models that complement the in vivo models when studying dormancy mechanisms.

We provide technical and experimental design guidance on how to use genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) for studies of dormancy and recurrence, as well as syngeneic models using mouse cell lines or primary cultures in vivo. We additionally offer technical and experimental design guidance for generating xenograft models from human cell lines or patient-derived xenografts provided by the investigator or supplied through our repository. Cell and tissue implantation methods include subcutaneous, intraperitoneal, intravenous, intracardiac, intrasplenic, intracranial and orthotopic. Mouse models also include GEMMs where specific reporters or perturbations affect host cells that are known to affect cancer cell dormancy. The latter allows exploring microenvironmental and niche-specific mechanisms dictating cancer cell dormancy. These models also include the analysis of immune and non-immune cell niches.

Interaction between alveolar macrophages and HER2+ early lesion DCCs in lung

We provide guidance and help to establish and experimental design for the CAM model. The CAM assay (Chorioallantoic Membrane Assay) is a widely used in vivo model for studying angiogenesis, tumor growth, metastasis, and drug testing. It utilizes the chorioallantoic membrane of a developing chicken embryo as a biological scaffold. Key features of the CAM model:

• Allows engraftment of human and mouse cancer cells without rejection due to the underdeveloped immune system of the chicken embryo.
• Useful to study cancer cell extravasation, a key step in metastasis, to different organs like the liver, lungs, and brain of developing embryos.
• Perfect model to monitor longitudinal tumor growth using non-invasive imaging methods using cells engineered to express fluorescent proteins such as H2B-GFP, p27-venus, and firefly luciferase.