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Updated: Jul 26, 2025

Author Spotlight: Establishment of Pancreatic Cancer-Derived Tumor Organoids and Fibroblasts From Fresh Tissue
Published on: May 26, 2023
Organoid cultures for cancer modeling
Helen H N Yan1, April S Chan1, Frank Pui-Ling Lai1
1Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China; Centre for Oncology and Immunology, Hong Kong Science Park, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Abstract:
Organoids derived from adult stem cells (ASCs) and pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are important preclinical models for studying cancer and developing therapies. Here, we review primary tissue-derived and PSC-derived cancer organoid models and detail how they have the potential to inform personalized medical approaches in different organ contexts and contribute to the understanding of early carcinogenic steps, cancer genomes, and biology. We also compare the differences between ASC- and PSC-based cancer organoid systems, discuss their limitations, and highlight recent improvements to organoid culture approaches that have helped to make them an even better representation of human tumors.

