SGC-7901 / SGC-7901-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Service for Gastric Cancer

The SGC-7901 / SGC-7901-luc orthotopic mouse model of gastric cancer places one of the most widely characterized human gastric adenocarcinoma lines into the subserosal layer of the stomach wall, where tumors grow in the native peritoneal milieu and progress along clinical routes of lymph node, liver, and peritoneal spread — all of it measurable in real time through luciferase bioluminescence. Alfa Cytology offers this model as a turnkey preclinical service, taking projects from authenticated SGC-7901 banking and luciferase line qualification through surgical implantation, scheduled in vivo imaging, treatment dosing, and systematic metastasis workups with histopathological confirmation.

Overview of SGC-7901 / SGC-7901-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model for Gastric Cancer

SGC-7901 is a human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line established in 1979 from the metastatic lymph node of a 56-year-old untreated female patient in China. The line grows as an adherent, epithelial-like monolayer, is generally described as moderately differentiated, and retains gland-forming, mucin-producing characteristics. Its molecular repertoire — including MMP-2/MMP-9 expression, STAT3/NF-κB pathway activation, dysregulated Bcl-2/Bax/caspase-3 apoptosis signaling, and an active EMT marker profile — has made SGC-7901 one of the most published gastric cancer lines worldwide, with applications ranging from Helicobacter pylori-related inflammation research to multidrug-resistance studies and therapeutic screening.

Fig 1. SGC7901-Luc orthotopic gastric cancer xenografts established by direct subserosal gastric-wall injection, enabling bioluminescence monitoring of primary tumor growth and peritoneal metastatic dissemination. (Tian, Zuhong, et al., 2022)

The luciferase-labeled derivative, SGC-7901-luc, was created by lentiviral transduction so that tumor cells can be visualized and quantified by bioluminescence imaging after D-luciferin administration. Orthotopic implantation into the subserosa of the gastric wall produces a primary tumor that thickens the gastric wall and compresses the gastric cavity as it expands, followed by metastatic seeding to regional lymph nodes, liver, kidney, peritoneum, and diaphragm at rates documented in published orthotopic studies. Because in vivo signal intensity tracks viable tumor cell number with near-linear correlation, the SGC-7901-luc orthotopic model enables non-invasive, time-resolved measurement of tumor progression and treatment response, and it supports three-dimensional bioluminescence tomography for spatial localization of internal lesions when deeper anatomical context is required.

Cell Line Information: SGC-7901 / SGC-7901-luc

SGC-7901 is a classic human gastric adenocarcinoma line with an epithelial-like, adherent growth habit, while SGC-7901-luc carries a stably integrated firefly luciferase reporter for optical imaging. A summary of the core characteristics follows.

Our Services

Few gastric cancer models carry as much accumulated research history as SGC-7901, and Alfa Cytology maintains that legacy with modern quality standards: authenticated low-passage stocks, routine mycoplasma clearance, and luciferase lines qualified for imaging consistency before any animal work begins. Once a study launches, our surgeons implant into the gastric subserosa with practiced precision, our imaging team runs fixed-calendar bioluminescence sessions, and our pathologists close out every cohort with organized metastasis surveys — giving Alfa Cytology clients a single, accountable team for the full preclinical arc of their SGC-7901 / SGC-7901-luc orthotopic program.

Workflow of SGC-7901 / SGC-7901-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Construction

A reliable SGC-7901-luc orthotopic study depends on orderly handoffs between culture, surgery, imaging, and pathology. The procedure below represents the standard sequence, executed under written SOPs with defined acceptance criteria at each stage.

1. Cell banking and qualification: SGC-7901 / SGC-7901-luc master stocks are expanded at low passage, screened for mycoplasma, and tested for strong, uniform luciferase expression by in vitro luminescence assay before study use.
2. Inoculum preparation: Study cultures are harvested at controlled confluency, counted, and resuspended at the working concentration (for example, 5×10⁶ cells in 50 µL of serum-free medium, optionally supplemented with a basement-membrane matrix).
3. Surgical preparation of recipients: Immunodeficient mice are acclimatized, grouped by body weight, and prepared under sterile conditions with anesthesia, analgesia, and a stereomicroscope-assisted surgical field.
4. Subserosal orthotopic implantation: Through a small left-upper abdominal incision the stomach is exposed, and the cell suspension is microinjected into the subserosal layer of the gastric wall using a fine needle; the injection site is compressed briefly to prevent leakage, and the abdomen is closed in layers.
5. Recovery and engraftment confirmation: Animals recover under warming with postoperative monitoring, and early bioluminescence imaging after D-luciferin administration confirms successful engraftment and records baseline tumor signal.
6. Longitudinal imaging and dosing: Photon flux is captured on a fixed schedule alongside body weight and clinical observations; animals are randomized by signal intensity into treatment arms, and test articles are administered according to the study plan.
7. Terminal staging and tissue analysis: At endpoint, gastric wall thickening and primary tumor mass are assessed, the abdominal cavity is systematically examined, lymph nodes, liver, kidneys, lungs, and peritoneum are collected for ex vivo imaging, and specimens are processed for H&E histopathology and biomarker studies.

Fig 2. SGC-7901 / SGC-7901-luc orthotopic mouse model construction workflow.

Case Study-SGC-7901 / SGC-7901-luc Orthotopic Mouse Model Development

Alfa Cytology has delivered preclinical programs on the SGC-7901 orthotopic platform for sponsors investigating small molecules, biologics, and delivery systems against gastric cancer. Across these programs, serial bioluminescence sessions charted primary tumor trajectories and flagged metastatic signals weeks before gross lesions were detectable, while terminal surveys quantified tumor burdens and mapped deposits across lymph nodes, liver, and peritoneum with histological confirmation. For projects with imaging-method goals, data have also been acquired in formats compatible with three-dimensional bioluminescence tomography reconstruction. Study-specific designs, schedules, and outcomes are tailored per sponsor agreement, and illustrative outlines can be furnished upon request.

Why Choose Alfa Cytology?

The SGC-7901-luc orthotopic model rewards careful execution: small surgical details and imaging discipline make the difference between noisy data and a clean efficacy curve. Alfa Cytology invests in both, and couples them with responsive communication so sponsors always know exactly where their study stands. Advantages our clients value include:

• Authenticated, low-passage SGC-7901 stocks with documented mycoplasma clearance before every study.
• Stereomicroscope-guided subserosal implantation with leakage-control steps that protect model fidelity.
• Fixed-calendar imaging with signal-based randomization, producing balanced cohorts and comparable baselines.
• Full metastasis staging across lymph nodes, liver, kidney, peritoneum, and diaphragm as standard endpoint practice.
• Compatibility with advanced readouts, including three-dimensional bioluminescence tomography and biomarker analysis.
• One accountable project team with scheduled updates from initiation through final report delivery.

Contact Us

Looking for a publication-grade orthotopic gastric cancer model with real-time imaging? Contact us to talk through your compound, target, and endpoint requirements. Alternatively, reach out to Alfa Cytology for a customized SGC-7901 / SGC-7901-luc study proposal — our preclinical specialists will respond promptly with a design tailored to your program.

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