S180 Syngeneic Model Service for Sarcoma

The S180 syngeneic model is a rapidly proliferating, aggressively growing mouse sarcoma platform that has been a cornerstone of preclinical anti-tumor research for more than a century. Alfa Cytology brings this proven model to your sarcoma program with complete preclinical support, including cell sourcing, tumor establishment, dosing studies, and customized readouts designed around your therapeutic questions.

Overview of S180 Syngeneic Model for Sarcoma

Sarcoma 180, universally abbreviated as S180 or S-180, traces its history back more than 110 years to 1914, when it was isolated from a solid axillary soft-tissue tumor in a Swiss Webster laboratory mouse. Renamed over the decades from the original "Crocker sarcoma" designation, the line has since appeared in several thousand publications, making it one of the most extensively used experimental tumors in existence. S180 grows with remarkable speed and vigor, forming both solid subcutaneous tumors and intraperitoneal ascites that can be serially passaged in mice, and it accepts a remarkably broad range of inbred host strains, which has made it a workhorse of in vivo anti-tumor drug screening and tumor biology studies. Its aggressive growth kinetics, with a cell cycle on the order of one day and early exponential tumor growth in vivo, allow efficacy studies to conclude within short experimental timelines.

Fig 1. Multicolor karyogram of the S180 sarcoma cell line revealing extensive numerical and structural chromosome aberrations, providing the genomic identity profile of the S180 cell-centric syngeneic model. (Liehr, Thomas, et al., 2025)

As a syngeneic sarcoma model, S180 is transplanted into immunocompetent mice, so treatment effects are evaluated against an intact immune backdrop rather than in the immunological void of xenograft hosts. The model is notably sensitive to classical cytotoxics such as cisplatin, doxorubicin, and paclitaxel, providing a reliable positive-control benchmark for new agents, while its brisk vascular growth has also made it a standard substrate for anti-angiogenesis research, where microvessel density serves as a key readout. Modern cytogenomic characterization has added further depth: S180 carries a near-tetraploid, highly rearranged karyotype with substantial chromosomal instability, and in silico translation of its genomic profile suggests relevance to human mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, giving this historic line renewed scientific value alongside its enduring role in in vitro and in vivo compound evaluation.

Cell Line Information: S180

S180 (Sarcoma 180; CCRF S-180 II) is a murine sarcoma line of Swiss Webster origin with a long publication history. Its principal characteristics are listed below.

Our Services

Whether your program calls for rapid solid-tumor efficacy readouts or ascites-based protocols, Alfa Cytology delivers the S180 syngeneic model with disciplined quality control and study execution focused entirely on preclinical objectives.

Workflow of S180 Syngeneic Model Construction

Establishing an S180 syngeneic study is straightforward because of the model’s robust take rate, and it follows a compact sequence from material preparation to final analysis.

1. Cell and tumor material preparation: S180 cells are recovered from frozen stocks or ascites passage, expanded under controlled conditions, and screened for mycoplasma and identity before entering a study.
2. Inoculum preparation: Cultured or freshly harvested ascites cells are washed and resuspended in sterile PBS, and the concentration is adjusted, commonly to 1 × 10⁶ cells per mouse.
3. Host mouse preparation: Immunocompetent mice of the chosen strain, typically 6–8 weeks of age, are acclimatized and baseline health parameters recorded.
4. Tumor implantation: Cells are injected subcutaneously into the flank for solid tumor studies, or intraperitoneally when an ascites format or survival-type endpoint is required.
5. Tumor monitoring and randomization: Solid tumors are measured with calipers two to three times per week and volume calculated as (length × width²) / 2; animals are randomized once tumors reach the target size window.
6. Treatment and tolerability assessment: Test agents and controls are dosed on schedule, while in vivo tolerability is tracked through body weight, behavior, and predefined humane endpoints.
7. Endpoint analysis and reporting: Tumors are excised and weighed, with optional add-ons such as microvessel density staining, immune profiling by flow cytometry, ascites volume measurement, and histopathology, delivered in a consolidated report.

Fig 2. S180 Syngeneic Model construction workflow.

Case Study-S180 Syngeneic Model Development

Alfa Cytology has conducted numerous preclinical programs using the S180 platform, including cytotoxic benchmarking, natural product and small-molecule evaluation, angiogenesis-intervention studies, and immunomodulator research. Study setups are adapted to each sponsor’s endpoints, with flexible choices of implantation route, dosing schedule, and analysis panels, and program examples can be provided on request.

Why Choose Alfa Cytology?

Alfa Cytology offers a practical, efficiency-driven approach to S180 syngeneic studies that shortens timelines without compromising preclinical quality.

• Reliable, rapid tumor establishment in immunocompetent hosts, enabling shorter efficacy study cycles.
• Mycoplasma-screened, well-documented S180 material with controlled passage history.
• Dual capability for solid subcutaneous tumors and intraperitoneal ascites formats in vivo.
• Versatile host strain compatibility matched to the immune context of your study.
• Broad in vitro andin vivo readout support, from cytotoxicity assays to microvessel density analysis.
• Cost-efficient operations suited to screening-scale programs as well as focused efficacy studies.

Contact Us

For a fast, dependable sarcoma model to accelerate your preclinical testing, contact us to discuss how an S180 syngeneic study can be configured for your needs. The team at Alfa Cytology will reach out promptly with a tailored, preclinical-only study proposal.

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