Evaluating FOLFOX and Anti-PD-1 in Murine Tumors

After tumor establishment (>15 mm², day 10 post inoculation), tumor-bearing mice were treated with PBS or chemotherapy (FOLFOX) once a week for 3 weeks. The dose given was: 5-Fu (100 mg/kg) and Oxa (2.5 mg/kg). Leucovorin was omitted as this adds marginal effectiveness to 5-FU but can significantly increase toxicity in murine subjects. The drugs were diluted in 100 μl PBS and given i.p. These doses are adopted from previous studies (23 (link), 29 (link)) and are within the range (mg/Kg) used in the clinic for humans. For anti-PD-1 treatment, when tumors were established (~40 mm², day 14 post inoculation), animals were assigned to treatment groups. Anti-PD-1 treatment was initiated with FOLFOX on the same day. Mice were treated with i.p. injection of anti-PD-1 (RMP1-14, BioXcell) or control antibody (clone 2A3, BioXcell) at 200 μg per mouse for a total of 6 doses every 3 days. FOLFOX was given once a week as described above. Tumor dimensions were measured and monitored every 2–3 days until endpoints.