An Immunocompetent Murine Model for Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy of Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GB), the most aggressive form of primary brain cancer, accounts for approximately half of all high-grade primary brain tumors in adults and has no cure. Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for GB and is used in patients who may not be candidates for conventional surgical resection. While the clinical efficacy of LITT has been established, research beyond clinical case studies and case series is limited and hindered by the lack of an established animal model. This protocol uses C57BL/6 mice and syngeneic CT2A glioma cancer cell line to closely recapitulate human GB while also using a 1064 nm Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) laser, such as is used in one of the two FDA-approved LITT systems, providing excellent pre-clinical relevance. The successful establishment of this LITT murine model will provide a valuable platform for investigating the unique features of LITT ablation and its effects on the tumor microenvironment, potentially leading to improved therapeutic strategies.