Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 28, 2026
Three-Dimensional Bone Extracellular Matrix Model for Osteosarcoma
Published on: April 12, 2019
From Bench to Bedside: Advancements in Precision Oncology and Drug Discovery for Osteosarcoma
Luca Giacchi1, Elisa Pucci1, Nadia Rucci1
1Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.
Abstract:
Osteosarcoma remains a highly aggressive malignancy with limited therapeutic progress and poor outcomes, particularly in metastatic or recurrent cases. Conventional treatment approaches, primarily based on surgery and high-dose chemotherapy, are hindered by significant drawbacks, including severe toxicity, high relapse rates, and drug resistance, underscoring the inadequacy of current standard approaches. This review examines emerging advances in precision medicine and drug discovery, including targeted inhibitors, immunomodulatory agents, combination treatments, and advanced biomaterials, that promise to transform osteosarcoma care. Recent advances, such as combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors with novel agents or nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems, as well as CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing applications, offer new strategies to overcome the inherent challenges of conventional therapies. In addition, cutting-edge research leveraging multi-omics analyses and digital pathology is refining our understanding of the tumour microenvironment, paving the way for more individualised treatment strategies.
Insights
New precision medicine approaches, including targeted therapies and gene editing, offer hope for treating aggressive osteosarcoma. These strategies aim to overcome limitations of traditional treatments like chemotherapy and surgery.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Genetics
Background:
- Osteosarcoma is an aggressive bone cancer with poor prognosis, especially in advanced stages.
- Current treatments (surgery, chemotherapy) face challenges like toxicity, relapse, and drug resistance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review emerging precision medicine and drug discovery advances for osteosarcoma.
- To highlight novel strategies addressing limitations of conventional osteosarcoma therapies.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent literature on targeted inhibitors, immunomodulatory agents, and combination therapies.
- Exploration of advanced biomaterials and nanoparticle drug delivery systems.
- Analysis of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing and multi-omics approaches.
Main Results:
- Emerging therapies show potential to overcome treatment resistance and improve outcomes.
- Combination treatments, nanoparticle delivery, and gene editing offer new therapeutic avenues.
- Multi-omics and digital pathology enhance understanding of the tumor microenvironment.
Conclusions:
- Precision medicine offers transformative potential for osteosarcoma patient care.
- Individualized treatment strategies are becoming feasible through advanced research.
- Novel approaches promise to improve survival rates and reduce treatment toxicity.
Related Concept Videos
02:57Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
02:49Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
02:50Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...