Beyond genomics: 3D microtumor assays for rapid, clinically relevant functional drug testing
Marina Chan1, Taranjit S Gujral2,3
1Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA. mchan23@fredhutch.org.
Abstract:
Precision oncology is increasingly moving beyond genomics alone to approaches that directly test how patient tumors respond to therapy. This shift reflects a central challenge in oncology, where sequencing alone often fails to identify effective therapies for rare, treatment-resistant, or genomically ambiguous tumors. Here, we highlight three-dimensional (3D) microtumor models as a powerful functional platform that preserves the architecture, cell types, and microenvironment of intact tumors for drug screening. By capturing biology that 2D models and genomics alone miss, this approach enables more accurate prediction of therapeutic vulnerabilities and expands the precision-oncology toolkit for patients who currently lack actionable options.
Insights
Three-dimensional (3D) microtumor models offer a powerful functional platform for precision oncology drug screening. These models capture complex tumor biology missed by genomics alone, improving therapy prediction for challenging cancer cases.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biotechnology
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Precision oncology increasingly integrates functional drug testing beyond genomic analysis.
- Genomic sequencing alone often fails to identify effective treatments for rare, resistant, or complex tumors.
- Current limitations hinder personalized therapy selection for a subset of cancer patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight three-dimensional (3D) microtumor models as an advanced platform for functional drug screening in oncology.
- To demonstrate the capability of 3D microtumor models in preserving native tumor architecture and microenvironment.
- To showcase the potential of 3D models in overcoming limitations of 2D cultures and genomics for predicting therapeutic response.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing three-dimensional (3D) microtumor models derived from patient tumors.
- Preserving tumor architecture, cellular composition, and microenvironmental factors within the 3D models.
- Performing drug screening assays on these 3D microtumor models to assess therapeutic efficacy.
Main Results:
- 3D microtumor models successfully recapitulate key aspects of intact tumor biology.
- These models capture biological responses to therapies that are missed by 2D models and genomic data.
- The approach demonstrates enhanced accuracy in predicting therapeutic vulnerabilities.
Conclusions:
- Three-dimensional (3D) microtumor models represent a significant advancement in functional drug screening for precision oncology.
- This technology expands the precision oncology toolkit, offering new therapeutic options for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers.
- By integrating functional testing, 3D microtumor models improve the prediction of treatment effectiveness, especially for genomically ambiguous or resistant tumors.
