Daudi / Daudi-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Service for Lymphoma

The Daudi / Daudi-luc orthotopic mouse model for lymphoma engrafts an Epstein-Barr virus-positive, MHC class I-deficient human Burkitt lymphoma into immunodeficient mice, where disseminated or solid disease can be quantified non-invasively by bioluminescence. Focused solely on preclinical oncology research, Alfa Cytology delivers this xenograft platform end to end: authenticated Daudi / Daudi-luc cell supply, route-matched inoculation (intravenous disseminated or subcutaneous solid), scheduled in vivo imaging, and terminal organ-level and histopathological analysis.

Overview of Daudi / Daudi-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model for Lymphoma

Daudi is one of the founding cell lines of human tumor virology. Established in May 1967 by E. Klein and G. Klein from a 16-year-old male patient with Burkitt’s lymphoma, and catalogued by ATCC as CCL-213, the line is a B lymphoblast that grows in suspension and carries the defining biology of Burkitt lymphoma on both viral and genetic fronts. It is positive for Epstein-Barr virus (EBNA and VCA antigens detectable, with viral DNA confirmed by PCR), expresses surface immunoglobulin M, and carries the hallmark MYC-IGH fusion generated by the classic chromosome 8;14 translocation. Two features give Daudi a special experimental personality: it is negative for beta-2-microglobulin, leaving the cells without surface MHC class I molecules and exquisitely sensitive to natural killer cell lysis—second only to K562 as the classic NK target—and it is remarkably sensitive to type I interferons, making it the axiomatic cell line for studying interferon mechanisms. Its karyotype is unusually stable for a Burkitt line, with a stemline chromosome number of 46.

Fig 1. In vivo dissemination experiment in Daudi and Raji xenografts showing that ENO1 knockdown (shRNA1-GFP) markedly reduced the proportion of GFP⁺ lymphoma cells infiltrating peripheral blood, spleen and bone marrow, decreased spleen weight and abolished the splenic architectural destruction seen in shScr-GFP Daudi controls. (Wang, Haina, et al., 2024)

For orthotopic work, luciferase-tagged Daudi (Daudi-luc, including the ATCC Daudi-Luc2 reporter with a documented doubling time near 37 hours and blasticidin selection) is inoculated into immunodeficient hosts such as SCID or NSG mice. Published formats range from subcutaneous implantation of 5 × 10⁶ cells into both shoulder regions with weekly bioluminescence for up to seven weeks, to low-dose intravenous challenges of 2 × 10⁴ cells for CAR-T cell studies, to tail-vein inocula of 5 × 10⁶ cells in severely immunodeficient B-NDG mice with imaging at defined intervals across a month. The Daudi-luc platform has served CD79b and CD20 CAR-T programs, anti-CD20/rituximab and immunotoxin studies, IFNα-based fusion constructs, and Fc-receptor humanized ADCC models, and it carries an important interpretive lesson: bioluminescence can flare transiently after cytotoxic or mTOR-inhibitor treatment—a metabolic rather than viability signal—so response reading requires calibrated timing and corroborating endpoints. Figure 1 outlines how this orthotopic lymphoma system is assembled and monitored.

Cell Line Information: Daudi / Daudi-luc

As a founding line of tumor virology, Daudi has been characterized from every conceivable angle. The essential attributes of the parent line and its luciferase-tagged derivatives are compiled below.

Our Services

A Daudi / Daudi-luc engagement at Alfa Cytology is run as one continuous program: verified cell banking, route-matched inoculation calibrated to the client’s question, luciferase-calibrated imaging with response-artifact awareness, dosing per the client’s regimen, and a terminal package combining survival statistics, ex vivo organ imaging, and flow-cytometric immunophenotyping.

Workflow of Daudi / Daudi-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Construction

Standing up a Daudi or Daudi-luc orthotopic lymphoma study is a route-first exercise: the intravenous and subcutaneous formats answer different questions and demand different timelines. The workflow below reflects the standard execution of this platform.

1. Cell Bank Verification and Expansion: Daudi or Daudi-luc stocks are authenticated by STR profiling and mycoplasma testing, then expanded in RPMI-1640-based medium with twice-weekly passage to keep cells in exponential growth.
2. Luciferase Calibration (Daudi-luc Only): Signal output per cell is verified in vitro, and reporter expression stability under blasticidin or equivalent selection is confirmed before in vivo use.
3. Host Preparation and Route Selection: SCID, NSG, or B-NDG mice are acclimatized and randomized by body weight; the design selects disseminated (intravenous, from 2 × 10⁴ to 5 × 10⁶ cells) or solid (subcutaneous, typically 5 × 10⁶ cells) formats.
4. Orthotopic Inoculation: A single-cell suspension in sterile buffer is delivered by tail-vein injection for systemic lymphoma or subcutaneously into flank/shoulder sites for solid tumor pharmacology, with gentle technique protecting viability.
5. Engraftment Confirmation: Baseline whole-animal bioluminescence after D-luciferin (126–150 mg/kg i.p.) confirms cell take within the first week and establishes per-animal baseline radiance.
6. Treatment Administration: Test articles—CAR-T cells, antibodies, immunotoxins, interferon constructs, or small molecules—are dosed per the client’s schedule once tumors are established.
7. Longitudinal Imaging with Artifact Awareness: Scheduled IVIS sessions track tumor burden, with imaging timing designed around the documented post-treatment BLI flare (a metabolic signal) so that true response is distinguished from transient signal inflation.
8. Endpoint Analysis and Immunophenotyping: At survival or size endpoints, solid tumors are excised and weighed or organs are surveyed for disseminated foci; ex vivo imaging, CD19/CD20/MHC-I immunophenotyping by flow cytometry, and H&E histopathology complete the dataset.

Fig 2. Daudi / Daudi-luc orthotopic mouse model construction workflow.

Case Study-Daudi / Daudi-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Development

Alfa Cytology has executed preclinical programs on the Daudi / Daudi-luc orthotopic platform for clients evaluating CAR-T constructs, antibody and immunotoxin combinations, interferon-based fusion proteins, and radiolabeled targeting agents, delivering longitudinal bioluminescence records, survival analyses, and immunophenotyping-supported endpoint packages. Because each engagement is configured around the client’s own therapeutic concept, study outlines and representative datasets are available upon request.

Why Choose Alfa Cytology?

Daudi / Daudi-luc studies succeed when cell identity, reporter stability, imaging timing, and route choice are all handled with care—and quietly fail when any one of them is treated casually. Alfa Cytology’s layered controls keep each variable in line so the biology leads the data.

• STR- and mycoplasma-verified Daudi / Daudi-luc banks with confirmed reporter stability before in vivo use.
• Route expertise spanning disseminated intravenous and solid subcutaneous formats matched to the study question.
• Calibrated in-house IVIS imaging with documented awareness of post-treatment BLI flare artifacts.
• Immunodeficient hosts (SCID, NSG, B-NDG, Fc-receptor humanized) matched to the client’s effector requirements.
• Endpoint immunophenotyping covering CD19/CD20 expression and MHC-I status alongside histopathology.
• A dedicated project team owning the study from design through final data delivery.

Contact Us

From CAR-T benchmarking to interferon mechanism studies, Alfa Cytology can configure a Daudi / Daudi-luc orthotopic study that answers your specific preclinical question. Contact us today to discuss study design, route selection, and imaging cadence, or reach out to our team for a customized quotation.

For research use only. Not intended for any clinical use.