Xenograft model for the identification of inhibitors of cancer progression and metastasis

Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF, FGF-7) is a member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family. KGF is known to be associated with the proliferation, invasion and progression of many types of cancer. There is evidence that this growth factor may be an early signal in metastatic cancer progression. This manuscript presents a summary of the actions of KGF and the KGF receptor (KGFR) in normal tissue growth and development, the proposed involvement of KGF/KGFR signaling in tumor metastatic progression and the development of a xenograft model employing cancer cells which greatly overexpress KGF and also express green fluorescent protein (GFP), which is used to quantify the growth and spread of cancer cells in this animal model. Thus, this xenograft model provides a method to screen compounds with anticancer and antimetastatic potential in various cancers associated with the overexpression of KGF/KGFR and their intracellular signaling.