AMSBIO: Organoid Biobank for Predicting Cancer Patient Response to Drugs

AMSBIO reports on a study, published in Cell (1), that demonstrates the power of organoids to capture, in three dimensions, the multiple mutations that occur in tumours. Organoids, small clusters of cells that accurately mimic the behaviour of human tissue, can be used to test cancer drugs and, eventually, to identify effective personalised treatments for patients.

In the described research samples from healthy tissue and cancerous tissue were taken from 20 patients with colorectal carcinoma and used to form the organoids. The organoids were then exposed to a range of colorectal cancer treatments as part of a high-throughput drug screen, which is testing hundreds of different drugs against cancer cell lines.

Until now, cancer drug screening has primarily been carried out using 2D cell lines grown in dishes, or in mouse models. Organoids, which more closely resemble human tumours than cell lines, and are less time and resource intensive than mouse models, offer researchers a middle ground between existing approaches. These exciting findings are the result of an international collaboration involving research teams in the UK, Netherlands, and the US.

The collaborative research teams are now building a biobank of organoids that will help to illuminate the complex interactions between the multiple genomic alterations in tumours that determine which drugs work and which don't. Organoids could ultimately be used in the clinic to predict how a patient will respond to treatment. However, researchers say that more work to speed up and standardise the process of producing and testing organoids is needed before this is possible. In the short term, organoids are likely to speed up the process of developing new cancer treatments and reduce costs.

AMSBIO’s wide range of matrices and other solutions for 3D cell culture include natural hydrogels, recombinant matrices, artificial scaffolds and scaffold-free supports. Recently AMSBIO introduced two novel formulations of Basement Membrane Extract (BME2 and BME3) to address the heterogeneous nature of tissue and organ microenvironments that not only arise from organ specific stromal cells, growth factors, proteoglycans, and protein composition but also from the stiffness or tensile strength of the BME.  Matrices from AMSBIO not only support cells and cell layers, but also play an essential role in tissue organization that affects cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, and differentiation. These aspects can be studied with tools from AMSBIO and the company’s experience in developing specialist matrices includes regulatory friendly solutions for regenerative medicine applications where customers are already in clinical trials.

To download a copy of the AMSBIO Organoid Guide please visit www.amsbio.com/Organoid-Culture-BME2-Protocols-Citations.aspx.  For further information please contact AMSBIO now on +44-1235-828200 / +1-617-945-5033 or email info@amsbio.com.

Founded in 1987, AMS Biotechnology (AMSBIO) is recognized today as a leading company contributing to the acceleration of discovery through the provision of cutting-edge life science technology, products and services for research and development in the medical, nutrition, cosmetics and energy industries. AMSBIO is able to draw upon in-depth expertise in extracellular matrices to provide elegant solutions for studying cell motility, migration, invasion and proliferation. Widely acknowledged as an expert in cell culture, AMSBIO partners with clients in tailoring cell systems to enhance organoid and spheroid type screening outcomes from a technological and cost-effective perspective. Custom services include stable cell line production, CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing, lentivirus and adenovirus production, large scale protein production and a comprehensive portfolio of antibody services.
 

Reference:     1. Cell, Volume 161, Issue 4, p933–945, 7 May 2015                                                 (http://www.cell.com/action/showExperimentalProcedures?pii=S0092-8674%2815%2900373-6#dtbox1)

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