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PDX Models & Screening Program

ACCRF has supported the development of ACC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models to assist researchers in developing cell cultures, studying disease biology and screening drugs.

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Most of the models, now numbering almost 30, were created at the University of Virginia (Moskaluk et al., Lab Invest, 2011). They maintain the histology and gene expression patterns of the tumors from which they were derived. ACCRF has further characterized the PDX models using a combination of DNA and RNA sequencing methods. Some of those datasets may be accessed on our Bioinformatics webpage. Researchers interested in accessing the PDX models or associated tissue microarrays may contact ACCRF. A few additional models (Acasigua et al., Oral Oncol, 2015; Prabakaran et al., Clin Cancer Res, 2017) and those propagated through orthotopic xenotransplantation (Cornett et al., EBioMedicine, 2019) are available from other institutions.

Approximately 20 ACC PDX models are housed at XenoSTART, a contract research organization providing an open drug screening platform under a contractual agreement with ACCRF. Academic and industry researchers may explore the efficacy, toxicity and mechanism of action of drugs in these ACC PDX models through:

  • Drug tolerability studies
  • Short-term dosing studies
  • Tumor growth inhibition (efficacy) studies
  • Sample collections of tumors (FFPE and flash frozen) and blood

Data from these studies has been published extensively in scientific journals and presented at major oncology conferences (see ACC PDX Publications- March 2023). Preclinical data generated by ACCRF, in partnership with industry collaborators, has supported the opening of many clinical trials for ACC patients. ACCRF does not seek to obtain intellectual property from collaborators using the platform and carefully guards confidential information.