In vivo models in cancer research

Cancers are one of the leading causes of mortality in the world. Cellular and physiological mechanisms of cancer development remain not well defined. In vivo models are an attractive approach for understanding of cancer origin and progression. This review presents current state of experimental in vivo systems including syngeneic models, patient-derived xenografts (PDX), cell line-derived xenografts (CDX) and various animals – humanized and genetically engineered models (GEM). These models provide opportunities for developing patients’ avatars, lifetime visualization of tumor migration and invasion at the organism level, and the evaluation of new therapeutic methods aimed at primary tumors, metastases, and cancer prevention. We also discuss the problems of choosing the optimal model and potential solutions for their overcoming.