Targeting human pancreatic cancer with a fluorophore-conjugated Mucin 4 (MUC4) antibody: initial characterization in subcutaneous and orthotopic cell line mouse models

This report demonstrates the advantages of targeting pancreatic cancer with near-infrared dye conjugated MUC4 antibody in orthotopic mouse models. Orthotopic models of the human pancreatic cancer cell line, SW1990, were established in nude mice and treated with IRDye800CW labeled MUC4 antibodies (MUC4-IR800), or IgG (IgG-IR800) as a control. Fluorescence imaging was performed and tumor to liver ratio (TLR) were calculated. Fluorescence biodistribution studies showed that the maximal fluorescence signal for those that received MUC4-IR800 was in the primary pancreatic tumor, whereas for mice that received IgG-IR800, only the liver had a significant signal, while the remaining organs and the tumors had low fluorescence signals. In the orthotopic models labeled with MUC4-IR800, TLRs were 2.74 (±0.17) at 72 hrs compared to 0.95 (± 0.094) for IgG-IR800. MUC4 antibodies conjugated to near-infrared dyes offered precise in-vivo labeling of pancreatic tumors showing promise as a potential clinical tool to enhance resection margins.