Patient-derived organoids model treatment response of metastatic gastrointestinal cancers

TLDR

Cancer organoids are miniature, three‑dimensional cultures derived from primary patient tumors that model therapy response, as demonstrated by Vlachogiannis et al. The study aimed to determine whether tumor‑in‑a‑dish organoids can predict drug responses in the clinic. A live organoid biobank was created from metastatic gastrointestinal cancer patients enrolled in phase I/II trials, allowing comparison of organoid drug responses with actual patient outcomes. Organoids exhibited molecular profiles similar to their patient tumors, supporting their value for drug screening and development. Published in Science, p.

Abstract

Cancer organoids to model therapy response Cancer organoids are miniature, three-dimensional cell culture models that can be made from primary patient tumors and studied in the laboratory. Vlachogiannis et al. asked whether such “tumor-in-a-dish” approaches can be used to predict drug responses in the clinic. They generated a live organoid biobank from patients with metastatic gastrointestinal cancer who had previously been enrolled in phase I or II clinical trials. This allowed the authors to compare organoid drug responses with how the patient actually responded in the clinic. Encouragingly, the organoids had similar molecular profiles to those of the patient tumor, reinforcing their value as a platform for drug screening and development. Science , this issue p. 920