Jin Li1, Lisa Asher1, Filipa Lopes2, Craig Cummings1, Alexander Koers2,3, Laura S. Danielson2,3, Louis Chesler2,3, Caroline J. Springer2, Jeffrey C. Bamber1, Ralph Sinkus4, Yann Jamin1, and Simon P. Robinson1
1Division of Radiotherapy & Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom, 2Division of Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom, 3Division of Clinical Studies, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom, 4Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, King’s Health Partners, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London, United Kingdom
MRE was applied to assess
the viscoelastic properties of orthotopic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
(PDAC) xenografts, and tumours arising in a transgenic mouse model of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma, within the
mouse abdomen. The stromal-rich PDAC tumours were quantified with markedly
elevated elasticity (Gd) and viscosity (Gl), whilst the pathologically
diverse neuroblastomas exhibit more heterogeneity in their biomechanical
properties and were relatively soft. MRE can non-invasively assess the
viscoelastic properties of deep-seated tumours arising within the abdomen of
mice in vivo.
