Abstract: Methods of implanting therapeutic cells in a subject and methods of preparing pancreatic islet cells for implantation into a subject, prior to implantation into a subject, are provided herein.

Abstract: A method of treating or preventing cancer metastasis in a subject is described. The method includes implanting a decoy trap within the subject, the decoy trap comprising an implantable trap device including a metastatic cancer attractant. Methods of diagnosing cancer metastasis in a subject using the decoy traps are also described. The methods include implanting the decoy trap in the subject and allowing the decoy trap to remain within the subject for a period of time, and then diagnosing the subject as having metastatic cancer if metastatic cancer cells are detected in the decoy trap.

Abstract: A test animal for identifying blood vessel transendothelial migration-affecting factors or agents is described. The test animal comprises an implanted tissue mimicking model with a composite vascular structure comprising pericytes on test animal vasculature. The test animal can be used in a method of identifying or evaluating a blood vessel transendothelial migration-affecting agent that includes administering the agent to a test animal and determining the effect of the agent on the level of blood vessel transendothelial migration into or out of the tissue model. The test animal can also be used in a method of identifying or characterizing a metastasis-facilitating factor that includes administering or inducing circulating tumor cells in a test animal in which one or more factors in the pericyte have been silenced, and determining if the level of tumor cell migration into the tissue model has increased or decreased.