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Article History

Received: 31 May 2024

Accepted: 29 July 2024

First Online: 22 August 2024

Declarations

:

: This study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at the University of Washington (Protocol #4304-02). This study was performed in accordance with the University of Washington Office of Animal Welfare guidelines for the humane use of animals and was carried out in compliance with the ARRIVE guidelines. Specifically, the minimum number of mice needed to achieve experimental goals were used. Cages were supplied with sufficient bedding, food, water, and enrichment throughout the experiment. Appropriate anesthetic/analgesic, ophthalmic lubricant, heating pads, and sterile surgical technique were used for survival surgical procedures to minimize animal distress. Mice were monitored closely during and immediately after surgery for adequate depth of anesthesia and full recovery, respectively; isotonic saline was administered subcutaneously for fluid support as needed. Mice were evaluated daily for the first week after surgery for signs of distress, weight loss, agitation, sedation, lameness, failure to eat/drink, poor or aberrant grooming, abnormal posture, wound, or skin ulcerations. A composite of general appearance, body condition score (BCS), body weight, and abdominal girth measurements were used to assess well-being. After the first week, mice were evaluated three times weekly for the remainder of the experiment. For bioluminescence imaging and PET/CT, mice were anesthetized and cared for as described in the Supplementary Methods. Both the research team and Veterinary Services were actively involved in evaluation and care of the mice throughout the experiment. At the completion of the experiment, mice were euthanized using CO₂ followed by cervical dislocation according to IACUC protocol.

: Not applicable.

: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.