Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2025
High-Throughput In Vitro Assay using Patient-Derived Tumor Organoids
Published on: June 14, 2021
Patient-derived parathyroid organoids as a tracer and drug-screening application model
Milou E Noltes1, Luc H J Sondorp2, Laura Kracht3
1Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Abstract:
Parathyroid diseases are characterized by dysregulation of calcium homeostasis and alterations in parathyroid hormone (PTH) excretion. The development of parathyroid-targeted treatment and imaging tracers could benefit from in vitro models. Therefore, we aim to establish a patient-derived parathyroid organoid model representing human parathyroid tissue. Hyperplastic parathyroid tissue was dispersed, and parathyroid organoids (PTOs) were cultured and characterized. PTO-derived cells exhibited self-renewal over several passages, indicative of the presence of putative stem cells. Immunofluorescence and RNA sequencing confirmed that PTOs phenocopy hyperplastic parathyroid tissue. Exposure of PTOs to increasing calcium concentrations and PTH-lowering drugs resulted in significantly reduced PTH excretion. PTOs showed specific binding of the imaging tracers 11C-methionine and 99mTc-sestamibi. These data show the functionality of PTOs resembling the parathyroid. This PTO model recapitulates the originating tissue on gene and protein expression and functionality, paving the way for future physiology studies and therapeutic target and tracer discovery.
