Humana Metastasis Research Protocols: 58 (Methods in Molecular Medicine)

In Volume I, Analysis of Cells and Tissues, we presented a range of protocols aimed at mapping and analyzing the expression of various molecules of pot- tial interest in metastasis research and for examining their production at the genetic level. In this second volume of metastasis research protocols, we move to the level of living cells and tissues and present methodologies applicable to examining metastatic behavior in vitro and in whole animal models. The methods described in the first section of this volume concentrate on the separation of cell lines with high and low metastatic potential, including the genetic modification of cell lines. The assay systems to test defined aspects of the metastatic cascade are then described in Part II and include cell migration assays, assays for matrix degrading enzymes, basement membrane degrading assays, adhesion assays, and assays of angiogenesis. The role of the specific elements of the metastatic cascade assayed in each of these systems in turn must of course be put into perspective relative to their roles in entire living organisms. Review This book is a valuable addition to the literature as it brings together key people in the field of cancer metastasis to provide practical step-by-step protocols. . . This book is written in such as way that it would be useful to beginning students and to anyone curious about the methods that are available to study the key steps in cancer metastasis. This book would also be useful to seasoned researchers as it brings together a number of different methodologies in one easy-to-read book. . . This is a very practical book covering areas of research in cancer invasion and metastasis. The greatest strength of the book is in collecting the different protocols that are useful in studying cellular behavior in one easy-to-read book.."-Weighted Numerical Score: 91 - 4 Stars!-Doody's Health Sciences Book Review Journal "These volumes should be of interest for all medical and academic libraries where cancer research is performed." - E-Streams From the Back Cover Although ninety percent of fatal cancer cases involve the spread of a primary tumor, the formation of metastases is still a poorly understood, complex process and a significant problem in the treatment of cancer patients. In Metastasis Research Protocols, leading international investigators describe in detail the key methods needed to investigate why and how metastasis occurs. Volume II of this two-volume set, Analysis of Cell Behavior In Vitro and In Vivo, presents a comprehensive collection of established and leading-edge techniques for examining metastatic behavior in vitro and in whole animal models. Methods are provided for the separation of cell lines with high and low metastatic potential, along with assay systems to test defined aspects of the metastatic cascade. These systems include cell migration assays, assays for matrix degradation enzymes, basement membrane degradation assays, adhesion assays, and assays of angiogenesis. The detailed descriptions of animal models for metastasis cover the use of immunodeficient animals, syngenic and transgenic models, and orthotopic models of metastasis. The first volume of this set, Analysis of Cells and Tissues, focuses on the analysis and mapping of molecules produced by cells and tissues, and on the molecular biology underlying their expression. Comprehensive and authoritative, the two volumes of Metastasis Research Protocols constitute a gold-standard collection of readily reproducible methods for understanding the metastatic cascade-first at the cellular and molecular levels, then at the level of the whole organism-responsible for the spread of cancer and for developing novel strategies to combat its spread.