Patent ID: 6949690

Claim:
A method for determining whether a gene of interest has an effect on the progression of human prostate cancer, comprising: a. to providing an immune deficient subject mouse comprising a human prostate cancer xenograft, wherein the xenograft comprises locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer tissue, or a cell suspension thereof; b. transducing cells of the xenograft with the gene in vivo in the subject mouse; c. providing a control immune deficient mouse comprising a human prostate cancer xenograft of locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer tissue, or a cell suspension thereof; wherein cells of the xenograft in the control mouse are not transduced with the gene of interest; d. identifying the presence of micrometastasis or macrometastasis in the subject mouse by detecting prostate cancer cells in the peripheral blood, bone marrow, bone, lymph nodes or a site distant from the xenograft; e. identifying the presence of micrometastasis or macrometastasis in the control mouse by detecting prostate cancer cells in the peripheral blood, bone marrow, bone, lymph nodes or a metastatic site distant from the xenograft; and, f. evaluating the effect of the gene on the progression of prostate cancer by comparing cancer progression in the subject mouse to cancer progression in the control mouse.