麻豆传媒社区

It鈥檚 the cancer version of 鈥渕ini me.鈥� Laboratory(麻豆传媒社区) Professor David Spector, among others, has developed organoids, which are miniature, three-dimensional copies of cancers. Organoids can be derived from cancer or healthy cells. They allow scientists to study the basic biology of particular types of tumors, then to test specific drugs on those cancers in a dish, instead of in a patient. Recently, Spector, postdoctoral researcher Sonam Bhatia, and collaborators from Laboratoryand Northwell Health created a biobank of breast cancer organoids from 87 patient tumor samples. Nearly half the samples were 鈥渢riple negative,鈥� which is an aggressive form of breast cancer.¹ The researchers published their work in the journal Cancer Research.

The research team, which plans to expand the biobank to over 100 patient-derived samples, conducted extensive tests to ensure the organoids had the same characteristics of the tumors when they were in the patient. They tested that organoids and tumors: (1) had similar genetic variation in their DNA; (2) had similar RNA profiles; and (3) produced tumors, similar to the patients鈥� tumors, when implanted into mice. As Spector explained:

鈥淭hat was our rationale for approaching this from many different directions, to really develop a comprehensive analysis as to whether these breast tumor organoid models would be good model systems.鈥�

Spector鈥檚 lab is testing various treatments to find weaknesses specific to each tumor. They are developing a library of therapeutics known as antisense oligonucleotides to target RNA molecules active in cancer cells, but not in healthy cells. Spector and his team already have 200 potential targets and will prioritize RNA molecules that are made in the largest amounts.

Spector, whose efforts to improve organoid science might one day allow doctors to use them in a clinic, credited a team of researchers for this effort. He described Bhatia as the 鈥渒ey driver鈥� who brought this 鈥渕assive undertaking鈥� together.

For her part, Bhatia believed this research would have practical applications.

鈥淭his biobank opens up an exciting avenue to use this cutting-edge class of therapeutics with better patient-specific models,鈥� Bhatia said. 鈥淚n the longer-term, these patient-derived organoids can be used to test therapy options outside of the patients, in a dish, and can provide information on what treatments the patient does or does not respond to.鈥�

Written by: Daniel Dunaief, Science Writer | publicaffairs@cshl.edu | 516-367-8455

Funding

National Institutes of Health, 麻豆传媒社区/Northwell Health, National Cancer Institute, Leidos Biomedical, Manhasset Women鈥檚 Coalition Against Breast Cancer, NCI Breast SPORE program

Citation

Bhatia, S., et al., 鈥淧atient-derived triple negative breast cancer organoids provide robust model systems that recapitulate tumor intrinsic characteristics鈥�, Cancer Research, February 18, 2022. DOI: