Centre for In Vivo Modelling Service Core

At the Centre for In Vivo Modelling (CIVM), we combine advanced animal genetics and cutting-edge technologies to drive cancer research. Our multidisciplinary team specialises in the generation and maintenance of genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs), humanised mouse strains, and patient-derived models (xenografts and organoids), using innovations such as CRISPR gene editing, embryo manipulation, and in vivo genetic screening. We develop and cryopreserve new cancer models that closely replicate human disease, supporting translational studies that inform effective therapies. Our approach integrates rigorous scientific standards, ethical oversight, and collaborative expertise, aiming to accelerate progress in understanding cancer biology and developing better treatments for patients.

Our Centre is dedicated to driving innovation and excellence in cancer research through advanced in vivo modelling. We work in close collaboration with the ICR researchers and clinicians at The Royal Marsden to generate genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) and patient-derived models, such as patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) and patient-derived organoids (PDOs) to interrogate cancer biology in its own ecosystem. By leveraging these sophisticated in vivo systems, the Centre aims to:

  • Develop innovative cancer models in collaboration with ICR researchers to advance cancer research and drug discovery.
  • Work in partnership with The Royal Marsden Hospital to obtain patient samples and generate new patient-derived cancer models for translational studies.
  • Foster close interdisciplinary collaboration with drug discovery teams to leverage these in vivo models in the creation and testing of next-generation anti-cancer therapies.
  • Continuously improve the sophistication and relevance of our cancer models, ensuring they more faithfully recapitulate the complexity of human disease and enhance the translational impact of our research.

 

Our services

Advantages of cryopreserving your strains:

  • Allows you to save space, by getting the mice you need, when you need;
  • Reduces your animal costs;
  • Reduces animal use;
  • Reduces risk from disasters (e.g. disease outbreaks, breeding cessation, equipment failures, genetic contamination, natural disasters, etc…).

 What can be cryopreserved?

  • Mouse Sperm
  • Mouse Embryos
  • Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
  • Mouse Oocytes

 Sperm Cryopreservation:

Description: Sperm is retrieved from the epididymal tissues of 3 male mice and is cryopreserved in 20 to 30 straws that are stored in liquid-phase, liquid nitrogen across two tanks in two separate locations (SRD and CCDD), to ensure sample safety and mitigate risks associated to unexpected or uncontrollable events.

Material needed: 3 males, reproductively active, 12-25 weeks old

Timeline: 2-6 weeks (dependant on QC method of choice)

Considerations: this method of cryopreservation is rapid and cheap; however, it only preserves half of the genome. This method is only recommended for single mutations on a common inbred background.

Quality Control: we provide different levels of Quality Control (QC) for different price ranges.

  1. Test thaw QC: we will thaw 1 straw the day after cryopreservation and visually assess motility and viability of the recovered sperm
  2. IVF and culture to blastocyst QC: we highly recommend this QC step. In addition to test thaw, we will also perform IVF and culture embryos up to blastocyst stage. We will provide the investigator with a fertility rate (%) for the recovered sperm. We will charge an extra cost to cover the IVF procedure.
  3. IVF and embryo transfer QC: In addition to test thaw, we will perform IVF and transfer 2-cell embryos into up to 3 pseudopregnant females to generate viable embryos/live pups. We will charge an extra cost to cover the IVF and embryo transfer procedures.

    Please note that we require you to provide your genotyping protocol, as well as full detail of the genetic content of each strain that you submit for cryopreservation.

Diagram of Sperm Cryopreservation

Embryo Cryopreservation:

Description: Female mice are hormonally superovulated and oocytes are retrieved for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) with sperm from donor male. Resulting embryos are placed in cryoprotectant and loaded into multiple straws, which are gradually cooled and stored in liquid-phase liquid nitrogen in two separate tanks.

Material needed: Donor male and 8-10 donor females

Timeline: 12-15 weeks

Diagram of Embryo Cryopreservation

Embryonic Stem Cells Cryopreservation:

Not available, yet.

Oocyte Cryopreservation:

Not available, yet.

Cryostorage:

If you have cryopreserved mouse sperm/embryo/oocytes at another institution, we can cryostorage your samples for an annual fee. We do require that the investigator takes charge of shipping costs into our facility, and that thawing and genotyping protocols are submitted to the CIVM.

The CIVM stores all samples in liquid-phase liquid nitrogen tanks (CryoPlus1, ThermoFisher Scientific). Material retrieved from each strain is split between 2 tanks, a main and a backup tank, for redundancy. For additional safety, these 2 tanks are located in two separate buildings at ICR Sutton. Both tanks are continuously monitored by T-scan alarm systems and undergo annual service, as well as daily visual inspections.

 

Sperm Cryorecovery:

Description: Frozen sperm is cryorecovered by IVF, followed by embryo transfer. We can purchase wild-type female oocyte donors of the same genetic background, or alternatively the investigator can provide homozygous oocyte donors of the same strain.

Material needed: straw with frozen sperm and 8 to 12 females for IVF, 7-16 weeks old.

Timeline: 12-15 weeks

Diagram of Sperm Cryorecovery

 

Embryo Cryorecovery:

Description: Frozen 2-cell embryos are thawed and transferred into pseudopregnant females.

Material needed: straw(s) with frozen 2-cell embryos

Timeline: 8-10 week


Oocyte Cryorecovery:

Not available, yet.

 

Mouse rederivation

Description: Mouse rederivation is a process used to produce pathogen-free mouse colonies by removing microbial contaminants from existing lines. The procedure can be performed either through natural mating or in vitro fertilization (IVF):

  • In natural mating, embryos are obtained from donor mice and transferred into pathogen-free recipient females.
  • In IVF-based rederivation, fertilized embryos are created in vitro using gametes from donor mice and then implanted into clean recipient females.

Both methods effectively eliminate pathogens, allowing safe importation of mouse strains from lower health-status facilities into the ICR BSU. Samples from both litter and recipient mother will be sent for Health Screening and the associated costs will be charged separately to the Investigator.

Material needed: For IVF-based rederivation we require the investigator to provide 2 males, reproductively active, 12-25 weeks old, and the CIVM will purchase wild-type female egg-donors. Alternatively, if maintaining homozygosity is essential, the investigator will need to provide additional 6-10 females, 7-16 weeks old.

Timeline: 12-15 week

Mouse Rederivation Mating Diagram

Mouse Rederivation IVF diagram

We are currently setting up CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing protocols. Soon, you’ll be able to apply for projects that involve developing new alleles based on:

  • Knockout by indel formation
  • Knockout by precise deletion
  • Conditional knockout
  • Knock-in of point mutations
  • Knock-in of small tags
  • Large knock-in
  • Exon replacement

These alleles will be developed based on Electroporation of Microinjection of CRISPR/Cas9 system reagents.

We will collaborate with you to design the best strategy and help you generate the genetically engineered mice you need for your project. 

We also provide:

  • Development of humanised mouse strains
  • Development of Patient-derived xenografts (PDX) and organoid models

Latest ICR News

14/05/26


The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Breast Cancer Now are building on their long‑standing collaboration with a major initiative focused on improving treatment for lobular breast cancer.

This work forms a central part of the ongoing research programme within the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), where more than 145 scientists and clinicians work together to understand how breast cancers develop, spread and become resistant to treatment.

As part of the charity’s sustained investment, this new programme – amounting to more than £1 million each year – will also enhance and support a wide range of other research projects underway across the centre.

Dedicated research urgently needed

The five‑year lobular breast cancer programme reflects growing recognition – from the global research community and patient representatives – that more dedicated research is urgently needed to improve outcomes for women affected by this disease.

Lobular breast cancer accounts for around 15 per cent of all breast cancer diagnoses. Even though it behaves differently from other breast cancers, it is still treated in largely the same way.

Although current treatments can be effective for many women, options become more limited once the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, known as metastatic invasive lobular cancer (mILC).

What makes this disease different?

Researchers in the initiative, which will bring together teams from the ICR and King’s College London, aim to address this by unpicking the biology that makes lobular breast cancer distinct, and by identifying treatment strategies tailored specifically to its behaviour.

The team will focus on three key questions:

  • What molecules drive the most dangerous forms of metastatic lobular breast cancer?
  • How do lobular cancer cells survive once they have spread beyond the breast?
  • How can these cells be targeted and destroyed without harming healthy tissue?

Using advanced lab models, donated patient samples and targeted drug studies, scientists will explore why lobular cancer cells spread in different patterns to other forms of breast cancer, and whether existing drugs – including those used in other cancer types – could be repurposed to treat mILC.

Their findings could lead to the development of new medicines or to clinical trials designed specifically for women with metastatic lobular disease.

Building on years of work

The new programme builds on many years of lobular breast cancer research at the ICR. Scientists at the institute have helped uncover key biological features that distinguish lobular tumours from other breast cancers and have identified promising new therapeutic approaches. Recent ICR-led research , funded by Breast Cancer Now, has shown that targeting specific molecular pathways, such as the enzyme LOX, can suppress the growth and spread of lobular breast cancer in preclinical studies.

Professor Andrew Tutt, Professor of Breast Oncology at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Director of the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre at the ICR, said:

“Our well-established partnership with Breast Cancer Now allows us to take on the toughest questions in breast cancer. By bringing together expertise from the ICR and King’s College London, our expanded lobular initiative will help us better understand a subtype that has been historically under‑researched. Our goal is to use this knowledge to develop new treatment approaches that will make a real difference for women affected by lobular breast cancer.”

Professor Chris Lord, Professor of Cancer Genomics at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Deputy Director of the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre at the ICR, said:

“This collaborative programme enables us to work at scale on the problems that matter most to patients – preventing metastasis, tackling treatment resistance, and delivering more personalised therapies. Improving outcomes for women with lobular breast cancer is a central part of this mission, and by integrating biological insights with innovative drug discovery, we aim to move rapidly toward better treatment options.”

Dr Simon Vincent, chief scientific officer at Breast Cancer Now, said:

“Lobular breast cancer has been overlooked for too long, despite affecting a significant proportion of women diagnosed with the disease. By building on the strong track record of lobular research at the ICR, this collaborative programme will help deepen our understanding of what drives this distinct form of breast cancer and accelerates progress towards more effective, targeted treatments for people affected by lobular breast cancer.”

picture credit: Renee Flaherty