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Updated: Jan 7, 2026
Prostate Organoid Cultures as Tools to Translate Genotypes and Mutational Profiles to Pharmacological Responses
Published on: October 24, 2019
A Patient-Derived Organoid Platform from TUR-P Samples Enables Precision Drug Screening in Advanced Prostate Cancer
Zaukir Bostan Ali1, Mooktapa Plikomol1, Tanan Bejrananda2
1Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand.
Abstract:
Background: Patient-derived advanced prostate cancer organoids have been developed to mimic tumor heterogeneity and beneficially predict optimized drugs for specific patients. The organoids are promising functional drug screening models which can capture patient outcomes. However, organoid development from transurethral resection of the prostate (TUR-P) has been hampered by a low success rate, and the cost of culture should be reduced for realistically clinical settings. In our study, we aimed to improve the success rate and reduce the cost of establishing advanced prostate cancer organoids from TUR-P specimens. Methods: We optimized and improved both the organoid culture protocol and the fetal bovine serum (FBS) based-organoid culture medium, which is suitable for performing drug testing in a short turnaround time. To confirm that the generated organoids could recapitulate the tumor heterogeneity of original tissues, the organoids were validated with histological, immunohistochemical, and genomic analyses. Results: Following the optimized protocol, we successfully generated organoids in approximately 18 out of 29 cases (or 62.07%), which exhibited effective growth and survival. In addition, we found that the established organoids efficiently identified and captured tumor characteristics present in their matched original tissues, as indicated by histological, immunohistochemical, and comprehensive genomic analysis. As a proof of concept for personalized medicine, the generated organoids were treated with anti-cancer drugs, including docetaxel and enzalutamide in parallel with the clinical treatments. Interestingly, the in vitro drug screening results were positively correlated with the patient outcomes at the clinical level. Conclusions: Taken together, the established APC organoids were able to precisely predict patients' outcomes for treatment decision-making within a month in a cost-effective manner.
Insights
Researchers developed advanced prostate cancer organoids from patient tissue, improving success rates and reducing costs. These organoids accurately predict patient treatment outcomes, enabling personalized medicine decisions within a month.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Translational Medicine
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Patient-derived advanced prostate cancer organoids model tumor heterogeneity and predict drug efficacy.
- Organoids are valuable for functional drug screening and capturing patient outcomes.
- Establishing organoids from transurethral resection of the prostate (TUR-P) specimens faces low success rates and high costs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance the success rate of establishing advanced prostate cancer organoids from TUR-P specimens.
- To decrease the cost associated with organoid culture for clinical applications.
- To develop a cost-effective and rapid method for personalized drug screening in prostate cancer.
Main Methods:
- Optimization of organoid culture protocols and fetal bovine serum (FBS)-based culture medium.
- Validation of generated organoids using histological, immunohistochemical, and genomic analyses to confirm recapitulation of tumor heterogeneity.
- In vitro drug screening of established organoids with anti-cancer drugs (docetaxel, enzalutamide) and correlation with clinical treatments.
Main Results:
- Achieved a successful organoid generation rate of approximately 62.07% (18 out of 29 cases) with the optimized protocol.
- Confirmed that established organoids accurately reflect the histological, immunohistochemical, and genomic characteristics of original tumor tissues.
- Demonstrated a positive correlation between in vitro drug screening results from organoids and actual patient clinical outcomes.
Conclusions:
- The developed advanced prostate cancer organoids offer a reliable and cost-effective method for predicting patient treatment outcomes.
- This approach facilitates personalized medicine by enabling timely treatment decisions within a month.
- The study highlights the potential of improved organoid technology for clinical decision-making in advanced prostate cancer.
