Translational screening platform to evaluate chemotherapy in combination with focal therapy for retinoblastoma

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Retinoblastoma (RB) is the most frequent pediatric eye cancer.
• Current RB treatments face challenges due to drug toxicity and disease relapse.
• Novel therapeutic strategies are crucial for improving outcomes in young patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robust tumoroid-based platform for screening retinoblastoma (RB) chemotherapeutic agents.
• To integrate focal therapy (thermotherapy) into the screening platform to mimic clinical treatment protocols.
• To validate the platform's ability to reproduce clinically relevant treatment responses.

Main Methods:

• Developed matrix-embedded tumoroids that preserve RB characteristics and drug response.
• Incorporated a diode laser (810 nm, 0.3 W) for selective tumoroid heating (thermotherapy).
• Implemented an online system for real-time monitoring of intratumoral and surrounding temperatures.

Main Results:

• The tumoroid model demonstrated responses to chemotherapy consistent with advanced clinical cases.
• The platform successfully reproduced clinical settings for thermotherapy and combined chemothermotherapy.
• Testing known RB drugs yielded results comparable to those observed in clinical practice, validating the model.

Conclusions:

• The developed tumoroid-based screening platform is the first to accurately replicate clinically relevant retinoblastoma treatment methods.
• This novel system holds significant potential for identifying more effective therapeutic agents and drug combinations for retinoblastoma.
• The platform offers a promising avenue for advancing treatment strategies and improving outcomes for pediatric eye cancer patients.