Bench to Bedside Innovations: Understanding Cancer with Patient-Derived Xenografts (PDX)

Cancer treatment options have changed considerably in the last decade due to the development of cancer therapeutics that target the immune system.

The development of these therapies has been advanced with patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models in which patient tumor specimens are engrafted into mice and can be used to screen for the efficacy of potential drugs or biologics.

Here we describe the history of PDX models, how they are evolving, and we highlight the benefits and challenges associated with PDX systems.