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Updated: Aug 12, 2025
Tissue Engineering of a Human 3D in vitro Tumor Test System
Published on: August 6, 2013
Making In Vitro Tumor Models Whole Again
Kenny Zhuoran Wu1, Christabella Adine1, Aleksandr Mitriashkin1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119276, Singapore.
Abstract:
As a reductionist approach, patient-derived in vitro tumor models are inherently still too simplistic for personalized drug testing as they do not capture many characteristics of the tumor microenvironment (TME), such as tumor architecture and stromal heterogeneity. This is especially problematic for assessing stromal-targeting drugs such as immunotherapies in which the density and distribution of immune and other stromal cells determine drug efficacy. On the other end, in vivo models are typically costly, low-throughput, and time-consuming to establish. Ex vivo patient-derived tumor explant (PDE) cultures involve the culture of resected tumor fragments that potentially retain the intact TME of the original tumor. Although developed decades ago, PDE cultures have not been widely adopted likely because of their low-throughput and poor long-term viability. However, with growing recognition of the importance of patient-specific TME in mediating drug response, especially in the field of immune-oncology, there is an urgent need to resurrect these holistic cultures. In this Review, the key limitations of patient-derived tumor explant cultures are outlined and technologies that have been developed or could be employed to address these limitations are discussed. Engineered holistic tumor explant cultures may truly realize the concept of personalized medicine for cancer patients.
Insights
Patient-derived tumor explant (PDE) cultures retain the tumor microenvironment (TME) for personalized drug testing. Technologies to improve PDE culture viability and throughput are crucial for advancing cancer precision medicine.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Translational Medicine
Background:
- Patient-derived in vitro tumor models lack crucial tumor microenvironment (TME) components, limiting personalized drug testing.
- In vivo models are expensive, slow, and not high-throughput, hindering drug development.
- Ex vivo patient-derived tumor explant (PDE) cultures preserve the intact TME but face challenges in viability and scalability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review limitations of current patient-derived tumor explant (PDE) cultures.
- To discuss technologies for overcoming PDE culture challenges.
- To highlight the potential of engineered PDE cultures for personalized cancer medicine.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on patient-derived tumor explant (PDE) cultures.
- Analysis of limitations including low-throughput and poor long-term viability.
- Exploration of technological advancements for enhancing PDE cultures.
Main Results:
- Patient-derived tumor explant (PDE) cultures offer a holistic approach to studying the tumor microenvironment (TME).
- Key limitations of PDE cultures include scalability and maintaining long-term viability.
- Emerging technologies show promise in addressing these limitations.
Conclusions:
- Engineered patient-derived tumor explant (PDE) cultures can overcome current limitations.
- These advanced cultures are essential for accurate drug testing and personalized medicine in oncology.
- Resurrecting and optimizing PDE cultures is vital for immune-oncology and precision cancer treatment.
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