Abstract

Uveal Melanoma (UM) is a cancer originating from melanocytes in the uvea.  Primary eye tumors are typically treated successfully with radiation.  However, UM often returns 10-15 years later in the liver in a more metastatic and aggressive state.  There is a strong need to better understand how the cancer develops from its primary stage to the more aggressive stage.  The goal of this research is to develop fluorescently-labeled UM cell lines that can be used to understand how the disease develops and spreads within the zebrafish model organism. Fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) was used to purify and enrich red and green fluorescent cell lines of different origins: cells from a primary human UM tumor, MEL 290, and cells from a metastatic human UM tumor, OMM 2.5. An injection protocol was developed to transplant the cells into zebrafish larvae. Methods were also optimized for visualizing the cells under a fluorescent microscope after injection into the larvae. This research allows for better visualization of tumors and the ability to track the development and progression of cancer within an organism. It also allows the study of the effects of environmental factors which influence the development of UM.