Orthotopic implantation of KPC and KPC IL6KO cells into mice

The anesthesia and surgical protocols have been described in detail within the generation of the PDX avatar methods. Briefly, 8-wk-old male C57BL/6J mice were anesthetized using 4% isoflurane and subcutaneously injected with buprenorphine at 0.5 mg/kg in 0.1 ml sterile PBS before surgery and then every 12 h from the first injection for 48 h. Mice were placed in lateral recumbency with the right side against the operating table, an incision was made in the abdomen, and the spleen and pancreas were retracted. The pancreas was injected with 5 × 10⁴ KPC or KPC IL6^KO cells in 50 µl growth media (GM) of cells using a 1-ml syringe with a 26G needle (329652; Becton, Dickinson and Co.) over a period of 30 s. The spleen and accompanying pancreas were gently laid back into the abdominal cavity using the ring tip forceps. The muscle wall was closed using suture, and the skin flap was closed using sterile wound clips.