Methods for intratumoral microdialysis probe targeting and validation in murine brain tumor models

Microdialysis is a well validated sampling technique that can be used for pharmacokinetic studies of oncological drugs targeting the central nervous system. This technique has also been applied to evaluate tumor metabolism and identify pharmacodynamic biomarkers of drug activity. Despite the potential utility of microdialysis for therapeutic discovery, variability in tumor size and location hamper routine use of microdialysis as a preclinical tool. Quantitative validation of microdialysis membrane location relative to radiographically evident tumor regions could facilitate rigorous preclinical studies. However, a widely accessible standardized workflow for preclinical catheter placement and validation is needed. We provide methods for a workflow to yield tailored placement of microdialysis probes within a murine intracranial tumor and illustrate in an IDH1-mutant patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model. This detailed workflow uses a freely available on-line tool built within 3D-slicer freeware to target microdialysis probe placement within the tumor core and validate probe placement fully within the tumor. We illustrate use of this workflow to validate microdialysis probe location relative to implanted IDH1-mutant PDXs, using the microdialysis probes to quantify levels of extracellular onco-metabolite D-2 hydroxyglutarate. Previous methods have used 3D slicer to reliably measure tumor volumes. Prior microdialysis studies have targeted expected tumor locations without validation. The new method offers a streamlined and freely available workflow in 3D slicer to optimize and validate microdialysis probe placement within a murine brain tumor. •Instructions sufficient for first-time users targeting murine brain tumors.•Described methods leverage freely available software, 3D-slicer.•All needed templates and files provided for intracranial microdialysis.•Flexible adaptable workflow for catheter targeting and validation.