A novel imaging-compatible sciatic nerve schwannoma model

Benign schwannomas are common tumors of the cranial and peripheral nerves, causing pain and loss of function. The development of effective therapy for these tumors has been hampered by the lack of relevant experimental in vivo models for convenient testing. Here, we describe a novel schwannoma model in which an immortalized human schwannoma cell line, HEI-193, established from an neurofibromatosis type 2 patient, has been stably transduced with fluorescent protein and luciferase reporters and implanted within the sciatic nerve of nude mice. These cells reliably formed a tumor within several weeks which had pathologic characteristics of schwannoma tumors. This model system will be useful for investigation of schwannoma biology and for preclinical assessment of therapeutic agents.