Personalized Cancer Medicine: An Organoid Approach

Trends Biotechnol. 2018 Apr;36(4):358-371. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.12.005. Epub 2018 Jan 20.

Abstract

Personalized cancer therapy applies specific treatments to each patient. Using personalized tumor models with similar characteristics to the original tumors may result in more accurate predictions of drug responses in patients. Tumor organoid models have several advantages over pre-existing models, including conserving the molecular and cellular composition of the original tumor. These advantages highlight the tremendous potential of tumor organoids in personalized cancer therapy, particularly preclinical drug screening and predicting patient responses to selected treatment regimens. Here, we highlight the advantages, challenges, and translational potential of tumor organoids in personalized cancer therapy and focus on gene-drug associations, drug response prediction, and treatment selection. Finally, we discuss how microfluidic technology can contribute to immunotherapy drug screening in tumor organoids.

Keywords: microfluidic technology; organoids; personalized cancer medicine; tumor modeling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Culture Techniques
  • Genetic Heterogeneity
  • Heterografts / immunology
  • Heterografts / transplantation
  • Humans
  • Immune System / immunology
  • Immunotherapy
  • Mice
  • Microfluidics
  • Models, Animal
  • Neoplasms / genetics
  • Neoplasms / immunology
  • Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Organoids / immunology
  • Organoids / transplantation*
  • Precision Medicine*