Tumor Microenvironment Network (TMEN)

About TMEN

The initiative funded 20 collaborative Center grants across the country and 10 collaborative U01 grants (funded through PAR-09-026 and PAR-11-146) that brought together a TMEN key investigator and scientists with expertise in other biological systems or organ sites not yet being modeled or studied within TMEN to form a new project in tumor microenvironment research.

TMEN was designed as an infrastructure that established repositories of critical reagents, resources, and information to promote and facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations and progress in understanding the role of the tumor microenvironment. Through this initiative, DCB supported research that led to a more comprehensive understanding of the composition of the stroma in normal tissues and advanced the field by furthering scientific understanding regarding the mechanisms of tumor-stromal interactions in human cancer.

TMEN Resources

TMEN generated a number of reagents that are now available to NCI-funded cancer researchers. These resources include:

EHS (Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm) sarcoma-derived laminin rich matrix

A pool of EHS sarcoma cell-derived extracellular matrix available for those who work on three-dimensional models to study tumor-host interactions.

Novel antibodies to detect cancer stem cells and stromal cells

CD10-PE/Cy5, CD140b-Biotin, CD16-PE/Cy5, CD18-PE/Cy5, CD20-PE/Cy5, CD24-FITC, CD24-PE, CD2-PE/Cy5, CD31-Biotin, CD3-PE/Cy5, CD44-APC, CD44-PE, CD45-PE/Cy5, CD45-PE/Cy7, CD64-Biotin, EGFR-FITC, EGFR-PE, EpCAM-APC, EpCAM-FITC, EpCAM-PE, H2Kd-Biotin, mCD45-PE/Cy5, SAV-PE/Cy5, SAV-PE/Cy7

Bone Marrow Derived Cells from donor mice

This bank contains bone marrow cells from C57BL/6J and C57BL/6-Tg-(UBC-GFP) 30 Scha/J mouse lines in cryopreserved aliquots that can be re-infused as needed.

RCAS Constructs

RCAS(A)-GFP – An avian retroviral vector for GFP expression in TVa mice. The vector needs to be introduced in DF1 cells for virus generation. Normally the DF1 cells themselves are introduced into mice directly.

RCAS(B)-DsRed - An avian retroviral vector for DsRed expression in TVb mice. The vector needs to be introduced in DF1 cells for virus generation. Normally the DF1 cells themselves are introduced into mice directly.

Researchers interested in obtaining these reagents should contact Dr. Jeff Hildesheim for additional information and a reagent request form.

TMEN White Paper

At their annual meetings in 2015 and 2016, members of TMEN reviewed accomplishments of the network, identified challenges in the field, and shared future research opportunities. The summary from these discussions can be found in a Cancer Research article.

Past Projects