Table 1a. Transplantable tumour models.

	Examples of models	Advantages	Disadvantages
Syngeneic	MC26 colon cancer in BALB/c mice (Alsheikhly et al, 2004) B16 melanoma in C57/Bl mice (Rusciano et al, 1994) 4T1 mammary carcinoma in BALB/c mice (Kim et al, 2009)	Conventional rodents and normal housing Covers wide range of tumour types Models immune and stromal interactions	Tend to be aggressive and grow over a short time frame Not applicable if investigating human-specific parameters The genetics and histology of tumours may not reflect the human situation
Xenogeneic	HCT116 colon cancer in athymic mice (Huxham et al, 2004) PC3 prostate cancer in athymic mice (Patel et al, 2002) Systemic leukaemias in irradiated NOD/SCID mice (Liem et al, 2004; Lock et al, 2005) GFP transgenic mice to enhance visualisation of tumour–host interactions (Yang et al, 2004) Luciferase-expressing cancer cells for bioluminescent imaging (Dickson et al, 2007; Comstock et al, 2009; Shibata et al, 2009)	Allows direct investigation of human cells Human cancer cell lines are increasingly being characterised by genetic and other molecular techniques (Ihle et al, 2009; Bignell et al, 2010) Can be an established cell line or human primary tissue (Neale et al, 2008; Rubio-Viqueira and Hidalgo, 2009) Amenable for immune reconstitution Can be grown s.c. or orthotopically	Requires genetically immunodeficient (nu/nu or SCID) animals Requires sterile isolation and ACDP containment level-II Genetically modified cells will require ACGM containment May not be suitable for use with agents modifying the immune system or where cellular interactions are being investigated

Abbreviations: ACDP=Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens; ACGM=Advisory Committee on Genetic Modification; GFP=green fluorescent protein; NOD=non-obese diabetic; s.c.=subcutaneous; SCID=severe combined immunodeficient.