Bladder Cancer

Introduction

Bladder cancer is the 9th most common cancer worldwide1, with transitional cell carcinoma (urothelial carcinoma) accounting for majority of cases1. The disease presents challenges such as high recurrence rates, progression to muscle-invasive disease2, and development of treatment resistance3. Bladder cancer’s molecular heterogeneity, and sex-based differences, necessitate a diverse range of bladder cancer models, to reflect this disease3.

CancerTools.org offers an extensive collection of bladder cancer research tools, deposited by leading academic institutes worldwide. Our highly cited portfolio includes the MB49 syngeneic model – the gold standard for bladder cancer immunotherapy research and a staple in researchers’ arsenal for over 45 years. Our collection also includes a diverse array of human bladder cancer cell lines for drug screening, toxicity testing and biomarker discovery.

MB49 Cell Line in culture - sub confluence (A), active growth (B) and confluence (C). Images kindly provided by Dr. Christina Voelkel-Johnson, Medical University of South Carolina."
MB49 Cell Line in culture – sub confluence (A), active growth (B) and confluence (C). Images kindly provided by Dr. Christina Voelkel-Johnson, Medical University of South Carolina.

Drug discovery

 

Comprehensive Drug Screening and Development

The University of Michigan collection offers 11 well characterised human urothelial cancer cell lines (UM-UC-1 to UM-UC-14) with diverse genetic backgrounds that can be leveraged for drug discovery. These models support both in vitro applications (cellular assays, signalling studies and genetic alterations) and in vivo studies (xenografting, preclinical testing).

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Immunotherapy Drug Discovery

MB49 and MB49-luc are key bladder cancer models, that have enabled immunotherapy research in immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice. 

MB49 is an orthotopic syngeneic model that recapitulates human bladder cancers immune microenvironment and demonstrates a clinically relevant response to checkpoint inhibitors like anti-PD1 therapy4.  

MB49-luc is a modified derivative of MB49, that expresses luciferase, allowing for real-time bioluminescent tracking of therapeutic response.  

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MB49 Luc, figure adapted from Vandeveer et al 2015
The NCI-HPN Bladder series provides additional syngeneic options for studying the natural process of oncogenesis. These murine cell lines were obtained from spontaneously transformed primary cell cultures without manipulation; recapitulating the sequential genomic changes observed in human carcinogensis5.
 
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Molecular Pathway Research

 

Invasion mechanisms

RT112/84 is a patient-derived bladder cancer model with high E-Cadherin expression and strong epithelial characteristics, making it ideal for studying how loss of cell adhesion contributes to bladder cancer invasion.

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RT112/84 Cell Line. Image courtesy of the European Collection of Authenticated Cell Cultures (ECACC)
RT112/84 Cell Line. Image courtesy of ECACC.

 

P53 – Tumour Suppressor Protein

We have antibodies targeting tumour suppressor genes, including a panel of p53 antibodies (DO-11, DO-12, DO-1, Pab 240 and Pab 246) to enable detection of p53 with a range of epitopes.

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For our commercial customers

Our dedicated licensing team can assist you in any of your commercial enquiries and help to guide you in identifying the right license for your needs. We support partners in the Pharma, Biotechnology and CRO/CDMO industries. Please contact us below:

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References

  1. Zuiverloon et al. (2018). Bladder cancer (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 4(2), 169–183. PMID: 29732388
  2. Earl et al. (2015). BMC genomics, 16(1), 403. PMID: 2599754
  3. Tuo et al. (2024). Pharmacological research, 206, 107302. PMID: 39004242 
  4. Domingos-Pereira et al. (2022). International journal of molecular sciences, 24(1), 123. PMID: 36613562
  5. Zuiverloon et al (2018). Bladder cancer, 4(2), 169–183. PMID: 29732388 
  6. Vandeveer et al. (2016).  Cancer immunology research, 4(5), 452–462. PMID: 26921031 

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