We recently developed an in vivo compression device that simulates the solid mechanical forces exerted by a growing tumor on the surrounding brain tissue and delineates the physical versus biological effects of a tumor. This device, to our knowledge the first of its kind, can recapitulate the compressive forces on the cerebellar cortex from primary (e.g., glioblastoma) and metastatic (e.g., breast cancer) tumors, as well as on the cerebellum from tumors such as medulloblastoma and ependymoma. We adapted standard transparent cranial windows normally used for intravital imaging studies in mice to include a turnable screw for controlled compression (acute or chronic) and decompression of the cerebral cortex. The device enables longitudinal imaging of the compressed brain tissue over several weeks or months as the screw is progressively extended against the brain tissue to recapitulate tumor growth–induced solid stress. The cranial window can be simply installed on the mouse skull according to previously established methods, and the screw mechanism can be readily manufactured in-house. The total time for construction and implantation of the in vivo compressive cranial window is <1 h (per mouse). This technique can also be used to study a variety of other diseases or disorders that present with abnormal solid masses in the brain, including cysts and benign growths.

我们最近开发了一种体内压缩装置，可以模拟生长的肿瘤对周围脑组织施加的固体机械力，并描绘肿瘤的物理效应与生物效应。据我们所知，该设备在同类设备中尚属首例，可以重现原发性肿瘤（例如胶质母细胞瘤）和转移性肿瘤（例如乳腺癌）对小脑皮质的压力，以及来自髓母细胞瘤和乳腺癌等肿瘤对小脑的压力。室管膜瘤。我们采用了通常用于小鼠活体成像研究的标准透明颅窗，其中包括用于控制大脑皮层压缩（急性或慢性）和减压的可转动螺钉。当螺钉逐渐延伸到脑组织上时，该设备能够在数周或数月内对受压的脑组织进行纵向成像，以重现肿瘤生长引起的固体应力。颅窗可以根据先前建立的方法简单地安装在小鼠颅骨上，并且螺钉机构可以很容易地在内部制造。体内压缩颅窗的构建和植入的总时间为<1小时（每只小鼠）。该技术还可用于研究大脑中出现异常实体肿块的各种其他疾病或病症，包括囊肿和良性生长。