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Bladder Cancer

Introduction

Bladder cancer is the 9th most common cancer worldwide (1), with transitional cell carcinoma (urothelial carcinoma) accounting for majority of cases (1). The disease presents challenges such as high recurrence rates, progression to muscle-invasive disease (2), and development of treatment resistance (3). Bladder cancer’s molecular heterogeneity, and sex-based differences, necessitate a diverse range of bladder cancer models, to reflect this disease (3).

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.

IF staining of cells with anti-omomyc antibody

“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 12 well characterised human urothelial cancer cell lines (UM-UC-1 to UM-UC-16) 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).

Immunotherapy Drug Discovery

MB49 and MB49-luc are syngeneic models, that enable immunotherapy research in immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice. MB49-luc offers real-time bioluminescent tracking of therapeutic response.  

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 therapy (4).  

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 carcinogenesis (5). 

COL002-2 colorectal cancer organoid. Haematoxylin and eosin (HE)-stained image was viewed using a x20 objective. Scale bars: 100 µm.

 MB49 Luc, figure adapted from Vandeveer et al 2015, Figure 2A-B, (A) Bioluminescence images and total flux radiance measurements of MB49luc bladder tumors on day 8 post tumor instillation. Mice received 400 µg of either the isotype control Ig or avelumab on days 9, 12, and 15. (B) Day 21 bioluminescence images and radiance measurements of those mice.(6)

Molecular Pathway Research

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition

RT112/84 is a specialised model for studying adhesion mechanism and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This cell line has high levels of E-Cadherin expression, making it ideal for EMT and metastasis research. It can be used in drug screening.

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.

References

  1.  Zuiverloon et al. (2018). Bladder cancer (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 4(2), 169–183. PMID: 297323882 Earl et al. (2015). BMC genomics, 16(1), 403. PMID: 2599754
  2. Tuo et al. (2024). Pharmacological research, 206, 107302. PMID: 39004242
  3. Domingos-Pereira et al. (2022). International journal of molecular sciences, 24(1), 123. PMID: 36613562
  4. Zuiverloon et al (2018). Bladder cancer, 4(2), 169–183. PMID: 29732388
  5. Vandeveer et al. (2016). Cancer immunology research, 4(5), 452–462. PMID: 26921031

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