Using organoid models to predict chemotherapy efficacy: the future of precision oncology?

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Cancer related causes of death remain a global health issue in both developing and developed countries. Traditionally, therapies have been utilized to indiscriminately treat patients, with therapy approval based on statistical significance from clinical trials. However, cancer is a heterogeneous disease, with many characteristics that affect individual patient response to treatment. Recently, the rise of personalized medicine has coincided with the increased technological capabilities to analyze individuals to provide tailored regimens. However, the ability to determine optimal therapy for a given patient has been based on genomic analysis of therapy targets, with no method to confirm these predicted responses.

Areas Covered: In this review, we summarize the efforts in utilizing patient-derived organoids, (PDOs), to analyze tumor response toward treatment for the potential of influencing a clinician’s decision in individual patients. Recent literature suggests an increasing interest in the field, with incorporation of tumors not typically utilized for in vitro study due to difficulties in establishing models.

Expert Opinion: The potential applications of this field are diverse in scope. Further research could provide advanced models to mimic patient therapy responses, including immunotherapy and the use of microfluidic tumor-on-a-chip devices in tandem with PDOs to further increase physiological accuracy of cancer models.

KEYWORDS:

• Personalized medicine
• organoids
• cancer
• chemotherapy

Article Highlights

• Patient-derived organoids can represent their parent tissues accurately in both organization and genetic comparison.

• The use of organoids to model a patient’s tumor presents an opportunity to test therapies in vitro to determine the most effective treatment for that specific patient.

• Current research has demonstrated the utility of these patient-derived organoids in predicting the efficacy of therapeutic intervention for many different cancers derived from both surgical and biopsy procedures.

• Further work may progress the field to assisting physicians in determining a patient’s treatment plan.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewers disclosure

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial relationships or otherwise to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.