Investigation of the anti-tumour properties of interferon epsilon in high grade serous ovarian cancer in vivo.

This experiment is part of a larger study examining the anti-tumour properties of interferon epsilon in ovarian cancer. The goal of this experiment was to test the direct effects of interferon epsilon and interferon beta on human ovarian tumours in vivo, using patient derived xenografts (PDX) in immunocompromised (NSG) mice. Overall design: NSG mice bearing two different PDX were treated with i.p. recombinant human interferon epsilon (300 IU), recombinant human interferon beta (300 IU), recombinant mouse interferon epsilon (3 IU, equivalent to 300 IU of human interferon epsilon), or PBS thrice weekly for 6 weeks after first detectable evidence of tumour growth in sentinel mice. Peritoneal exudate cells were harvested from mice at endpoint and snap frozen, and stored at -80°C until RNA extraction. n=6 mice were used for each treatment group for each of the two PDX tumours.