Intracardiac Delivery of Viral Vectors: A Technique to Inject Viral Vectors Intracardially to Study Pancreatic Metastasis in Murine Model

- Metastatic cancer cells spread from one site to different body areas via blood circulation or lymph system. To study metastatic factors, we introduce retrovirus containing an oncogene somatically into a transgenic mouse. This mouse model is genomically altered by silencing the tumor suppressor gene, allowing the oncogene to express in the cell. The mouse soon develops a pancreatic tumor, similar to human tumorigenesis.

Begin by injecting ketamine-xylazine solution intraperitoneally to anesthetize the transgenic mouse. Now, place the shaved mouse on a surgical bed, and secure the limbs with lab tape. Mark a location on the center of the sternum for injection.

Load the syringe with viral suspension and insert the needle into the marked location. A red pulse of blood in the syringe confirms the needle location in the left ventricle. Inject the viral suspension whenever the pulse of blood appears in the syringe and quickly remove the needle. Apply gentle pressure to reduce bleeding.

Now, transfer the mouse to a cage and let it recover. Within a few weeks of injection, the injected virus infects the pancreas and develops a tumor, which soon metastasizes into other organs. In the follo