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Sub-Saharan African Prostate Cancer Patient-Derived Cell Lines and High-Throughput Drug Screening: Addressing
Carla S Dos Santos1,2,3, Ana C Magalhães1,2, Veronica Fernandes1,2
1i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal.
Cancers
|August 13, 2026
Summary
New prostate cancer (PC) cell lines from Sub-Saharan African (SSA) men were developed. These models show unique drug responses, improving preclinical research for diverse populations.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Genetics
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Prostate cancer (PC) shows significant ethnic disparities in incidence and mortality, with Sub-Saharan African (SSA) men facing higher risks than European (EUR) men.
- A critical lack of preclinical models derived from SSA patients hinders research into these disparities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish and characterize a novel panel of PC cell lines from SSA patients using conditional reprogramming (CR).
- To assess the drug response profiles of these new SSA-derived PC models.
Main Methods:
- Conditional reprogramming (CR) was used to propagate primary cells from five SSA-PC samples.
- Authenticated cell lines underwent extensive characterization, including STR and SNP profiling, proliferation, migration, karyotyping, and lineage marker analysis.
- A high-throughput screen (HTS) of 1280 compounds was performed to evaluate drug responses.
Main Results:
- Three authenticated SSA-PC cell lines were successfully established.
- SSA-derived models demonstrated reduced sensitivity to camptothecin (TOP1 inhibitor) compared to EUR PC cell lines but similar sensitivity to epirubicin hydrochloride (TOP2 inhibitor).
- Digoxin, pyrvinium pamoate, and auranofin showed efficacy in in vitro testing.
Conclusions:
- The developed SSA-derived PC models are relevant for preclinical drug screening.
- Incorporating ancestry-diverse models is crucial for advancing oncobiology research and addressing health disparities.
