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Updated: Jun 23, 2025
Ovarian Cancer Patient-Derived Organoid Models for Pre-Clinical Drug Testing
Published on: September 15, 2023
The establishment of kidney cancer organoid line in drug testing
Ryan Tsz-Hei Tse1, Christine Yim-Ping Wong1, Xiaofan Ding2
1S.H. Ho Urology Centre, Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Introduction:
Kidney cancer is a common urological malignancy worldwide with an increasing incidence in recent years. Among all subtypes, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) represents the most predominant malignancy in kidney. Clinicians faced a major challenge to select the most effective and suitable treatment regime for patients from a wide range of modalities, despite improved understanding and diagnosis of RCC.
Objective:
Recently, organoid culture gained more interest as the 3D model is shown to be highly patient specific which is hypothetically beneficial to the investigation of precision medicine. Nonetheless, the development and application of organotypic culture in RCC is still immature, therefore, the primary objective of this study was to establish an organoid model for RCC.
Materials And Methods:
Patients diagnosed with renal tumor and underwent surgical intervention were recruited. RCC specimen was collected and derived into organoids. Derived organoids were validated by histological examminations, sequencing and xenograft. Drug response of organoids were compared with resistance cell line and patients' clinical outcomes.
Results:
Our results demonstrated that organoids could be successfully derived from renal tumor and they exhibited high concordance in terms of immunoexpressional patterns. Sequencing results also depicted concordant mutations of driver genes in both organoids and parental tumor tissues. Critical and novel growth factors were discovered during the establishment of organoid model. Besides, organoids derived from renal tumor exhibited tumorigenic properties in vivo. In addition, organoids recapitulated patient's in vivo drug resistance and served as a platform to predict responsiveness of other therapeutic agents.
Conclusion:
Our RCC organoid model recaptiluated histological and genetic features observed in primary tumors. It also served as a potential platform in drug screening for RCC patients, though future studies are necessary before translating the outcomes into clinical practices.
Insights
This study successfully developed renal cell carcinoma (RCC) organoids, which mimic patient tumors and predict drug responses, paving the way for personalized kidney cancer treatments.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Oncology
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Kidney cancer, particularly renal cell carcinoma (RCC), is a growing global health concern.
- Effective treatment selection for RCC patients remains challenging despite advances in diagnosis.
- Organoid culture offers a promising patient-specific 3D model for precision medicine.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a functional organoid model for renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
- To validate the utility of RCC organoids in reflecting primary tumor characteristics.
- To assess the potential of organoids for predicting patient drug response.
Main Methods:
- Recruitment of patients with renal tumors undergoing surgery.
- Derivation of organoids from collected RCC specimens.
- Validation of organoids via histology, sequencing, and xenograft studies.
- Comparison of organoid drug response with cell lines and patient outcomes.
Main Results:
- Successful derivation of RCC organoids with high concordance in immunoexpression and driver gene mutations.
- Discovery of novel growth factors essential for organoid establishment.
- Demonstration of tumorigenic properties and recapitulation of patient-specific drug resistance in organoids.
- Validation of organoids as a platform for predicting therapeutic agent responsiveness.
Conclusions:
- The established RCC organoid model accurately reflects histological and genetic features of primary tumors.
- RCC organoids show potential as a drug screening platform for personalized RCC therapy.
- Further research is needed to translate these findings into clinical practice.
