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Updated: Oct 18, 2025
Establishment and Culture of Patient-Derived Breast Organoids
Published on: February 17, 2023
Patient-Derived Organoids Can Guide Personalized-Therapies for Patients with Advanced Breast Cancer
Ping Chen1,2,3,4, Xu Zhang1,2, Renbo Ding1,2
1Cancer Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, SAR, 999078, China.
Abstract:
Most breast cancers at an advanced stage exhibit an aggressive nature, and there is a lack of effective anticancer options. Herein, the development of patient-derived organoids (PDOs) is described as a real-time platform to explore the feasibility of tailored treatment for refractory breast cancers. PDOs are successfully generated from breast cancer tissues, including heavily treated specimens. The microtubule-targeting drug-sensitive response signatures of PDOs predict improved distant relapse-free survival for invasive breast cancers treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. It is further demonstrated that PDO pharmaco-phenotyping reflects the previous treatment responses of the corresponding patients. Finally, as clinical case studies, all patients who receive at least one drug predicate to be sensitive by PDOs achieve good responses. Altogether, the PDO model is developed as an effective platform for evaluating patient-specific drug sensitivity in vitro, which can guide personal treatment decisions for breast cancer patients at terminal stage.
Insights
Patient-derived organoids (PDOs) offer a new way to test breast cancer treatments. This personalized approach helps predict which therapies will be most effective for patients with advanced breast cancer.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Translational Medicine
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Advanced breast cancer often presents aggressively, with limited effective treatment options.
- Developing personalized therapies for refractory breast cancers remains a significant clinical challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate patient-derived organoids (PDOs) as a real-time platform for predicting tailored treatment strategies.
- To assess the feasibility of using PDOs for refractory breast cancer treatment selection.
Main Methods:
- Generation of PDOs from diverse breast cancer tissues, including heavily pre-treated specimens.
- Pharmaco-phenotyping of PDOs to assess drug sensitivity, particularly to microtubule-targeting agents.
- Correlation of PDO drug response signatures with patient outcomes and previous treatment histories.
Main Results:
- Successful generation of PDOs from various breast cancer samples.
- PDO drug sensitivity signatures accurately predicted improved distant relapse-free survival in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy.
- PDO pharmaco-phenotyping results mirrored patients' prior treatment responses.
- Clinical case studies showed positive patient responses when treatment was guided by PDO sensitivity predictions.
Conclusions:
- The PDO model serves as an effective in vitro platform for evaluating patient-specific drug sensitivity.
- PDOs can guide personalized treatment decisions for patients with advanced or terminal-stage breast cancer.
- This approach holds promise for improving therapeutic outcomes in refractory breast cancer cases.
