Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 16, 2025
Author Spotlight: Establishment of Pancreatic Cancer-Derived Tumor Organoids and Fibroblasts From Fresh Tissue
Published on: May 26, 2023
Gastrointestinal cancer organoids-applications in basic and translational cancer research
Therese Seidlitz1, Daniel E Stange2,3
1Department of Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Abstract:
Cancer is a major health problem and a leading cause of death worldwide. Early cancer detection and continuous changes in treatment strategies have improved overall patient survival. The recent development of targeted drugs offers new opportunities for personalized cancer treatment. Nevertheless, individualized treatment is accompanied by the need for biomarkers predicting the response of a patient to a certain drug. One of the most promising breakthroughs in recent years that might help to overcome this problem is the organoid technology. Organoid cultures exhibit self-renewal capacity, self-organization, and long-term proliferation, while recapitulating many aspects of their primary tissue. Generated patient-derived organoid (PDO) libraries constitute "living" biobanks, allowing the in-depth analysis of tissue function, development, tumor initiation, and cancer pathobiology. Organoids can be derived from all gastrointestinal tissues, including esophageal, gastric, liver, pancreatic, small intestinal and colorectal tissues, and cancers of these tissues. PDOs are amenable to various techniques, including sequencing analyses, drug screening, targeted therapy testing, tumor microenvironment studies, and genetic engineering capabilities. In this review, we discuss the different applications of gastrointestinal organoids in basic cancer biology and clinical translation.
Insights
Organoid technology offers a promising approach for personalized cancer treatment by creating patient-derived organoid (PDO) models. These models aid in understanding cancer biology and testing drug responses for improved patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Cancer Research
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Cancer remains a leading global cause of death, necessitating advancements in personalized treatment strategies.
- Targeted therapies offer potential for individualized cancer care, but require predictive biomarkers for drug response.
- Organoid technology has emerged as a powerful tool for modeling human tissues and diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the diverse applications of gastrointestinal organoids in fundamental cancer research.
- To explore the clinical translational potential of organoid technology in oncology.
- To highlight patient-derived organoids (PDOs) as valuable tools for personalized medicine.
Main Methods:
- Generation of patient-derived organoids (PDOs) from various gastrointestinal tissues and cancers.
- Utilizing PDOs for in-depth analysis of tissue function, development, and cancer pathobiology.
- Employing PDOs in techniques such as drug screening, targeted therapy testing, and genetic engineering.
Main Results:
- Organoid cultures recapitulate key aspects of primary tissues, including self-renewal and self-organization.
- PDO libraries serve as "living" biobanks for comprehensive biological and pathological studies.
- PDOs demonstrate amenability to diverse analyses, including molecular and therapeutic assessments.
Conclusions:
- Organoid technology, particularly PDOs, holds significant promise for advancing personalized cancer treatment.
- Gastrointestinal organoids facilitate the study of cancer biology and offer a platform for clinical translation.
- PDOs are instrumental in biomarker discovery and optimizing targeted therapy selection in oncology.
More Related Videos
05:57Establishment and Histological Analysis of Esophageal Organoids Modeling the Progression from Normal to Cancerous Tissues
Published on: May 30, 2025
08:45Author Spotlight: Generation of and Comparison Between Patient-Derived Gastric Organoids from Different Regions of the Stomach
Published on: January 26, 2024