Myc-CaP / Myc-CaP-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Service for Prostate Cancer

The Myc-CaP / Myc-CaP-luc orthotopic mouse model for prostate cancer is a syngeneic, immune-competent platform in which androgen-responsive murine prostate tumor cells are implanted directly into the anterior prostate lobe, recreating primary tumor growth, local invasion, lymphatic dissemination, and castration-resistant relapse within a fully intact tumor microenvironment. Alfa Cytology delivers this model as a complete, sponsor-ready preclinical service — spanning authenticated cell expansion and luciferase-trackable cell banking, precision orthotopic surgical implantation, longitudinal in vivo bioluminescence imaging, androgen deprivation and castration-resistant progression arms, metastasis surveillance, and comprehensive histopathological and biomarker readouts — all executed under institutional animal-welfare compliance and adapted to each client’s study design.

Overview of Myc-CaP / Myc-CaP-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model for Prostate Cancer

Myc-CaP is a murine prostate cancer cell line originally isolated from a spontaneous adenocarcinoma arising in the Hi-Myc transgenic mouse, in which prostate-specific c-Myc overexpression drives tumorigenesis. The line retains high-level, wild-type androgen receptor (AR) expression and remains androgen dependent both in vitro and in vivo; because the host strain is FVB, implanted tumors grow in a fully immune-competent, syngeneic setting that human xenografts cannot replicate. On the FVB background the cells also express AR splice variants such as AR-V7, which underlies their well-documented behavior of initial regression after androgen withdrawal followed by uniform progression to castration-resistant disease. When grafted orthotopically into the anterior prostate lobe, Myc-CaP cells establish tumors within the correct anatomical microenvironment, with the prostate-draining lymph nodes in place, and reproducibly metastasize to abdominal lymph nodes, liver, and lung.

Fig 1. Study workflow and outcomes of Myc-CaP subcutaneous allograft resection in nine FVB/NCrl mice, with distant metastases in two mice. (Peiffer, Lauren B., et al., 2022)

The Myc-CaP-luc derivative is engineered by stable lentiviral transduction to constitutively express firefly luciferase, converting the model into a non-invasively trackable system: tumor engraftment, growth kinetics, response to intervention, and occult metastatic seeding can all be monitored longitudinally by in vivo bioluminescence imaging after luciferin administration. Together, the parental and luciferase-labeled lines support a uniquely versatile experimental spectrum — androgen-dependent growth, androgen deprivation-induced regression, castration-resistant relapse, and immune-context studies ranging from checkpoint blockade to radiotherapy combinations — making this orthotopic allograft pair one of the most translationally relevant syngeneic tools available for preclinical prostate cancer research.

Cell Line Information: Myc-CaP / Myc-CaP-luc

The table below consolidates the key biological, cultural, and modeling characteristics of the Myc-CaP parental line and its luciferase-labeled derivative Myc-CaP-luc. Both lines are murine in origin and are engrafted into syngeneic FVB hosts, so no immunodeficient adaptation is required.

Our Services

With dedicated surgical, imaging, and pathology teams working under one roof, Alfa Cytology transforms the Myc-CaP / Myc-CaP-luc orthotopic model into a turnkey preclinical asset: clients receive study-ready animals, scheduled bioluminescence readouts, and decision-grade data packages, while our scientists calibrate every parameter — from inoculum density and castration timing to endpoint criteria — around the specific biological question being asked.

Workflow of Myc-CaP / Myc-CaP-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Construction

Model construction follows the established orthotopic allograft methodology: luciferase-labeled cells are expanded under authenticated culture conditions, formulated in a Matrigel-supported suspension, and surgically implanted into the anterior prostate lobe of immune-competent FVB mice, after which engraftment is confirmed and tumor burden is followed longitudinally. The process is organized into the following stages.

1. Cell banking and quality control: Myc-CaP or Myc-CaP-luc cells are authenticated and confirmed mycoplasma-free, then expanded into study-scale working banks under standardized culture conditions.
2. Cell harvest and formulation: Near-confluent monolayers are detached with trypsin-EDTA, counted, and viability-checked; cells are resuspended at 1 × 10⁶ cells per 30 μL in a 1:1 PBS/Matrigel mixture kept on ice to preserve gel integrity until injection.
3. Anesthesia and surgical exposure: FVB mice are anesthetized with isoflurane, and a low abdominal transverse incision through skin and abdominal muscle exposes the bladder and anterior prostate lobe for externalization.
4. Orthotopic implantation: The 30 μL cell suspension is slowly injected into the anterior prostate lobe; the needle is held in place for approximately 30 seconds so the Matrigel partially solidifies, minimizing leakage, reflux, and inter-animal variability.
5. Closure and post-operative care: The prostate and bladder are returned to the abdominal cavity, the incision is closed with sutures, and animals receive analgesia with monitored recovery according to institutional guidelines.
6. Engraftment confirmation and longitudinal imaging: Luciferin is administered intraperitoneally and bioluminescence is acquired to verify successful engraftment, normalize tumor burden across experimental groups, and schedule serial imaging to follow tumor growth and response.
7. Intervention and endpoint analysis: Treatment arms — androgen deprivation, castration-resistant progression monitoring, candidate compounds, or immunotherapy combinations — are initiated per study design; endpoints include caliper and imaging measurements, necropsy, histopathology (H&E and immunohistochemistry), and assessment of metastatic burden in lymph nodes, liver, lung, and other organs.

Fig 2. Myc-CaP / Myc-CaP-luc orthotopic mouse model construction workflow.

Case Study-Myc-CaP / Myc-CaP-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Development

Alfa Cytology has applied the Myc-CaP / Myc-CaP-luc orthotopic platform across a range of preclinical prostate cancer programs, from single-agent efficacy assessment to castration-resistant progression and combination immunotherapy-radiation strategies. In these studies, orthotopically implanted Myc-CaP-luc tumors were successfully established and monitored longitudinally by in vivo bioluminescence, enabling quantitative comparison of tumor burden across treatment groups and histopathological confirmation of primary and metastatic disease at study termination. Case-specific datasets, including representative imaging series and endpoint analyses, are available upon request and can be tailored to support client decision-making.

Why Choose Alfa Cytology?

Alfa Cytology pairs deep, model-specific expertise with an integrated preclinical infrastructure, ensuring that every Myc-CaP / Myc-CaP-luc orthotopic study is executed with scientific rigor, operational transparency, and data quality that sponsors can defend.

• A dedicated syngeneic prostate cancer program with hands-on experience across androgen-dependent, castration-resistant, and immune-oncology study designs.
• In-house surgical, imaging, and pathology teams that keep the entire workflow under unified quality control.
• Non-invasive in vivo bioluminescence imaging capability for longitudinal, quantitative tumor tracking with reduced animal usage.
• Flexible study architecture accommodating androgen deprivation schedules, combination regimens, and customized endpoint panels.
• Responsive project management with clear milestones, scheduled progress updates, and rapid turnaround on client queries.

Contact Us

If you are planning a preclinical prostate cancer program and need a biologically faithful, immune-competent platform, Alfa Cytology is ready to help. Reach out to us to discuss your study objectives, timeline, and endpoint requirements, or contact us today for a customized proposal and quotation for the Myc-CaP / Myc-CaP-luc orthotopic mouse model service.

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