Chemotherapeutic Dosing Protocols for Mice

The following chemotherapies were used in these studies: 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), bleomycin, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide (CY), docetaxel, doxorubicin, etoposide phosphate, gemcitabine, irinotecan, vinorelbine and were obtained from the pharmacy department at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital, Perth, Australia. Further details are available in Additional file 1: Table S1. All mice were dosed intraperitoneally (i.p) using a 29G insulin syringe. Chemotherapy was prepared and diluted under sterile conditions in either phosphate buffered saline (PBS) or 0.9% sodium chloride as per manufacturer’s instructions. Where possible, chemotherapy was made to a dilution whereby a 20 g mouse would receive a 100 μl i.p injection.