Abstract:
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for evaluating a protein of interest on growth inhibition of a tumor while following the tumor in vivo or in vitro through a co-expressed visible marker. The present disclosure provides an expression composition for stably transforming cells, preferably tumor cells. The expression composition includes two vectors respectively include polynucleotides encoding a protein of interest and a visible marker, wherein each polynucleotide is operably linked to a tet-on system such that the protein of interest and the visible marker are co-expressed upon activation of the tet-on system. The present disclosure also provides stably transfected cell lines, which may be used to access real-time biological processes, including tumor cell proliferation.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method for detecting cancer initiating cells in living animal body by multimodality reporter gene imaging. In the method of this invention, cells escaping from cell loss during tumor enlargement are identified as cancer initiating cells.