Patient-Derived Pancreatic Cancer Organoid Model

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a refractory malignant tumor characterized by exceptionally aggressive biology and high tumor heterogeneity. The increasing incidence and dismal prognosis have led to undiminished enthusiasm for research on PC. Creative Biolabs has developed optimum patient-derived pancreatic cancer organoid models to support global researchers’ drug discovery research against pancreatic cancer.

Construction of Patient-derived Pancreatic Cancer Models

Until now, organoid technology has been used successfully in the PC research field. Specifically, the patient-derived pancreatic cancer models can be derived from pancreatic biopsy samples. The tissue digested needs to be cultured and continues to propagate in 24-well plates. After two passages, new spherical organoids come into being in the 3D matrigel environment, which can be used to following experiments.

Fig.1 The workflow of generating PDOs from biopsy samples via fine-needle biopsy (FNB). (Haque, 2022)

Limitations of Common Pancreatic Cancer Models

Before the formation of organoid technology, mainstream models used for PC investigation include cell lines, patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, and genetically engineered mouse models (GEMM). However, these models have some obvious limitations. Cell lines lack the tumor microenvironment and fail to retain genetic characteristics after repeated passages. PDX models require a large amount of tumor tissue. The low success rate is in stark contrast to considerable time and expense costs. In GEMMs, tumor cells use clearly defined and specific mutations, so fail to fully reflect the genetic diversity of human pancreatic tumors. In addition, time and cost still need to be solved in the current technology situation.

Advantages of Patient-derived Pancreatic Cancer Organoid Models

Compared with common PC models, the advantages of patient-derived pancreatic cancer organoid models are obvious in many aspects.

• Organoids can simulate the pathological state of the human body and can serve as a helpful tool for the study of cancer progression.
• Combined with co-culture technology, PC organoids can recapitulate the tumor microenvironment.
• The generation of PC organoid models requires only a few tissue samples.
• PDOs are derived directly from patients, thus preserving the tumors’ unique behaviors and genetic phenotypes.
• Such models are suitable for high-through screening and can be used to establish a biobank and prepare for subsequent research.

Applications

Many problems about the pathogenesis, early diagnosis, and precise treatment of PC remain to be solved. An epoch-making new technology, the organoid models will play an increasingly indispensable role in basic research and clinical applications for PC in the future.

Fig.2 Applications of pancreatic tumor organoids in basic research and clinical research. (Chen, 2021)

Related Services

At Creative Biolabs, we have established a team of experienced technical personnel and a prominent expert network to offer reliable patient-derived pancreatic cancer organoid models as well as related services listed below. As a global biotechnology company, we are committed to developing 3D in vitro tumor models in response to various cancer research demands. Don’t hesitate to contact us for professional technical support.

Related Sections:

• Patient-Derived Organoid (PDO) Model
• PDX-Derived Organoid (PDXO) Tumor Model