Studying the immune landscape in lung cancer models: choosing the right experimental tools

Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of cancer are powerful tools to define the role of specific genetic lesions in tumor formation and progression. In the study of lung cancer, activation of oncogenes or repression of tumor suppressor genes is directly induced in lung epithelial cells—the tumor initiating cells of lung carcinoma (1)—to prevent tumor formation in extra-pulmonary organs.