HGC-27 / HGC-27-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Service for Gastric Cancer

The HGC-27 / HGC-27-luc orthotopic mouse model grows a mucin-secreting, undifferentiated human gastric carcinoma directly within the stomach wall of immunodeficient mice, where it recreates the local invasion and tissue context of diffuse-type gastric cancer far more faithfully than any flank xenograft can. Alfa Cytology provides this orthotopic system as a complete preclinical package — precision sub-serosal implantation engineered to prevent cell leakage, weekly luciferase-based tumor tracking in vivo, and thorough histopathological endpoints — giving your program dependable data from a clinically relevant microenvironment.

Overview of HGC-27 / HGC-27-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model for Gastric Cancer

HGC-27 was established in 1976 from the metastatic lymph node of a patient with undifferentiated gastric carcinoma, and its biology reflects that origin: cells adhere as polygonal or short spindle-shaped epithelial-like cells, secrete mucins, and carry the aneuploid karyotype typical of advanced disease. When transplanted orthotopically — into the sub-serosal layer of the gastric corpus–antrum junction rather than a subcutaneous site — HGC-27 cells engraft with high reliability and recapitulate the local growth, stromal interaction, and invasive behavior of gastric tumors in vivo. Because its spontaneous metastatic spread is comparatively limited, the model yields clean, interpretable readouts focused on primary tumor growth and local invasion, an advantage for studies in which metastatic background signals would otherwise confound efficacy measurements.

Fig 1. HGC27-Luc orthotopic gastric cancer model used to evaluate tumor burden, therapeutic response, and survival following combined DDR1/VEGFR2 inhibition and docetaxel treatment. (Yeerkenbieke, Gaoshaer, et al., 2026)

The HGC-27-luc derivative extends this utility by adding a firefly luciferase reporter that permits whole-body bioluminescence imaging in vivo — tumor burden can be quantified repeatedly in the same animal, and treatment effects can be followed longitudinally without serial sacrifice. A key methodological refinement validated for this model is the use of small implantation volumes (40 µL or less) and fine-gauge needles (29 G–30 G), which together eliminate detectable cell leakage at the injection site and prevent off-target seeding. Combined with straightforward in vitro expansion and a rapid doubling time of roughly 17 hours, these features make the HGC-27 / HGC-27-luc orthotopic platform a practical, high-confidence choice for efficacy screening, tumor microenvironment studies, EMT and mucin biology research, and mechanism-of-action evaluation in gastric cancer.

Cell Line Information: HGC-27 / HGC-27-luc

HGC-27 is among the best-characterized human gastric cancer cell lines in the literature. It was established in 1976 by Akagi and Kimoto from a metastatic lymph node of a gastric cancer patient diagnosed histologically with undifferentiated carcinoma, and it has since become a reference model for diffuse-type gastric cancer research. The line grows as an adherent monolayer of polygonal or short spindle-shaped epithelial-like cells with a doubling time of approximately 17 hours, and it retains a mucin-secreting phenotype that distinguishes it from many other gastric lines. HGC-27 cells form tumors readily in immunodeficient hosts — palpable xenografts typically appear within 8 to 14 days of subcutaneous inoculation — and the luciferase-tagged HGC-27-luc variant enables sensitive, non-invasive quantification of tumor burden in vivo.

Our Services

What sets the Alfa Cytology offering apart is attention to the surgical details that make or break an orthotopic study: optimized injection volumes, fine-gauge instrumentation, and standardized imaging schedules that keep tumor growth curves smooth and comparable across cohorts. Clients receive a single, consolidated deliverable package covering implantation, weekly bioluminescence readouts, dosing administration, and complete endpoint pathology — executed by one coordinated team from day one.

Workflow of HGC-27 / HGC-27-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Construction

The HGC-27 orthotopic procedure has been refined to maximize engraftment while eliminating cell leakage, the most common source of spurious signals in gastric orthotopic models. The workflow below outlines each stage of model construction, from cell preparation to final analysis.

1. Cell Expansion and Quality Control: HGC-27 or HGC-27-luc cells are expanded in vitro to the logarithmic phase; preparations are confirmed mycoplasma-negative, STR-authenticated, and — for the luciferase variant — verified for reporter expression by a in vitro luminescence assay.
2. Host Selection and Acclimatization: Female BALB/c nude mice, typically 5–6 weeks of age, are acclimatized for about one week under SPF conditions and screened for general health before being assigned to the surgical cohort.
3. Anesthesia and Gastric Exposure: Animals receive intraperitoneal ketamine anesthesia (approximately 100 mg/kg, often with xylazine); after disinfection, a 5–10 mm incision is made in the left abdominal wall and the stomach is gently exteriorized with surgical forceps.
4. Implantation Preparation: A single-cell suspension of 5 × 10⁶ HGC-27-luc cells in 40 µL or less of sterile PBS is loaded into a 29 G or 30 G syringe; the small volume and fine needle are essential for preventing leakage along the injection track.
5. Sub-serosal Injection: The needle is inserted into the sub-serosal layer at the gastric corpus–antrum junction and the suspension is delivered slowly; formation of a confined sub-serosal bleb confirms correct placement without breaching the mucosa.
6. Closure and Postoperative Care: The stomach is repositioned in the abdominal cavity and the abdominal wall and skin are closed with 4–0 absorbable sutures; animals recover on a warming platform with analgesia and fluid support per IACUC-approved protocols.
7. Longitudinal Bioluminescence Monitoring: Beginning in the second week, tumor growth is imaged weekly in vivo after D-luciferin administration; animals are randomized into treatment groups once bioluminescence flux reaches the predefined threshold, with body weight and health status recorded throughout.
8. Endpoint Analysis and Reporting: At study termination, the primary gastric tumor is excised, measured, and weighed; major organs are imaged ex vivo to verify the absence of off-target lesions; tissues are processed for H&E, immunohistochemistry, and molecular analyses, and imaging data are compiled into the final report.

Fig 2. HGC-27 / HGC-27-luc orthotopic mouse model construction workflow.

Case Study-HGC-27 / HGC-27-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Development

HGC-27-based orthotopic systems have supported a broad spectrum of preclinical gastric cancer studies, ranging from first-line efficacy screening to investigations of tumor–stroma interplay in the native gastric environment. Alfa Cytology has applied this platform across multiple client programs involving cytotoxic agents, targeted inhibitors, and cell-based therapeutic approaches, combining longitudinal bioluminescence tracking with detailed endpoint histopathology. De-identified case materials and example data packages can be provided upon request to illustrate typical study design, timelines, and deliverable formats.

Why Choose Alfa Cytology?

Orthotopic gastric modeling succeeds or fails on surgical discipline. Alfa Cytology has distilled the published best practices for HGC-27 implantation into a standardized operating framework, so each study benefits from proven engraftment performance and signal purity.

• Leak-resistant implantation protocol using ≤40 µL volumes and 29 G–30 G needles, validated to prevent off-target seeding.
• High and consistent engraftment rates that shorten timelines and reduce the number of animals entering each study.
• Longitudinal bioluminescence imaging in vivo for quantitative, non-invasive tumor growth tracking.
• A mucin-secreting, undifferentiated tumor phenotype that mirrors diffuse-type gastric cancer biology.
• Relatively low spontaneous metastasis that keeps primary-tumor efficacy readouts clean and easy to interpret.
• Comprehensive endpoint services covering ex vivo organ imaging, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and molecular assays.
• Single-team project execution with transparent scheduling from implantation day through the final report.

Contact Us

If the HGC-27 / HGC-27-luc orthotopic platform fits your next gastric cancer study, the specialists at Alfa Cytology would be glad to walk you through design options and feasibility. Reach out to us to request a quotation, review example datasets, or schedule a consultation — our team responds promptly and is committed to moving your preclinical program forward.

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