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Updated: Aug 27, 2025
Author Spotlight: Enhanced Generation of Patient-Derived 3D Organoids for Glioblastoma and Glioma
Published on: January 19, 2024
Patient-derived tumor organoids as a platform of precision treatment for malignant brain tumors
Chun-Chung Chen1,2,3, Hong-Wei Li4, Yuan-Liang Wang5,4,6
1Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC. cck36701@gmail.com.
Abstract:
Malignant brain tumors consist of malignancies originated primarily within the brain and the metastatic lesions disseminated from other organs. In spite of intensive studies, malignant brain tumors remain to be a medical challenge. Patient-derived organoid (PDO) can recapitulate the biological features of the primary tumor it was derived from and has emerged as a promising drug-screening model for precision therapy. Here we show a proof-of-concept based on early clinical study entailing the organoids derived from the surgically resected tumors of 26 patients with advanced malignant brain tumors enrolled during December 2020 to October 2021. The tumors included nine glioma patients, one malignant meningioma, one primary lymphoma patient, and 15 brain metastases. The primary tumor sites of the metastases included five from the lungs, three from the breasts, two from the ovaries, two from the colon, one from the testis, one of melanoma origin, and one of chondrosarcoma. Out of the 26 tissues, 13 (50%) organoids were successfully generated with a culture time of about 2 weeks. Among these patients, three were further pursued to have the organoids derived from their tumor tissues tested for the sensitivity to different therapeutic drugs in parallel to their clinical care. Our results showed that the therapeutic effects observed by the organoid models were consistent to the responses of these patients to their treatments. Our study suggests that PDO can recapitulate patient responses in the clinic with high potential of implementation in personalized medicine of malignant brain tumors.
Insights
Patient-derived organoids (PDOs) show promise for treating malignant brain tumors. These organoids accurately predicted patient responses to therapies, supporting their use in personalized medicine.
Area of Science:
- Neuro-oncology
- Cancer biology
- Translational medicine
Background:
- Malignant brain tumors, including primary and metastatic types, present significant therapeutic challenges.
- Patient-derived organoids (PDOs) offer a promising preclinical model due to their ability to mimic primary tumor biology.
- PDOs are emerging as valuable tools for drug screening and personalized therapy development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of using PDOs as a drug-screening model for advanced malignant brain tumors.
- To assess the correlation between PDO drug sensitivity testing and actual patient responses in a clinical setting.
Main Methods:
- Surgically resected tumor tissues from 26 advanced malignant brain tumor patients were used to generate PDOs.
- Organoids were cultured for approximately two weeks.
- Drug sensitivity testing was performed on PDOs from three patients, with results compared to their clinical treatment outcomes.
Main Results:
- Successful generation of PDOs from 13 out of 26 (50%) patient tumor tissues.
- Organoid drug sensitivity testing demonstrated consistency with patient responses to clinical therapies.
- The study provides a proof-of-concept for PDOs in predicting treatment efficacy.
Conclusions:
- PDOs can effectively recapitulate the biological characteristics and therapeutic responses of malignant brain tumors.
- PDOs hold significant potential for advancing personalized medicine approaches in neuro-oncology.
- This approach may improve treatment selection and patient outcomes for malignant brain tumors.
