Patient-specific organoid system for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) drug screening
This technology is an in vitro platform for studying pancreatic cancer in a patient-specific manner for personalized medicine approaches.
Unmet Need: Patient-specific models to understand pancreatic tumor microenvironment
The gold standard in pancreatic cancer research mainly relies on generalized models and preclinical studies, which often fail to capture the unique characteristics of individual patient's tumors. These standard approaches have shortcomings in accurately predicting treatment responses, as they need to consider the intricacies of the tumor microenvironment, such as the immune cell interactions, stromal components, and genetic variations specific to each patient. Consequently, the development of patient-specific models is essential. Such models can bridge the gap by tailoring treatments to individual patients, thereby improving therapeutic outcomes and enhancing our understanding of the pancreatic tumor microenvironment, ultimately leading to more effective treatment strategies.
The Technology: Immune-responsive pancreatic tumor organoid platform
This technology combines patient-derived tumor organoids with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pBMCs) to replicate the patient's unique tumor microenvironment. This approach facilitates the screening of cancer therapeutics that bolster the immune system and enables the discovery of cancer-specific biomarkers and treatment methods. By accurately recreating the patient's tumor microenvironment and simulating in vitro interactions between the tumor and the immune system, this technology can uncover the elusive mechanisms driving anti-tumor immune responses, potentially leading to groundbreaking treatments for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
Applications:
- Patient-derived organoids to model and study pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cancer in vitro
- Personalized medicine approach to study resistance mechanisms and identify novel drug targets
- High-throughput drug screening in a patient-specific manner
- Personalized cell therapy approach for pancreatic cancer
- Research tool to identify disease biomarkers
Advantages:
- High-throughput platform for disease analysis and drug screening
- Patient-specific, personalized medicine intervention
- Opportunities for both preventative and therapeutic interventions
- Rapid, high-throughput approach
- Facilitates drug screening in a patient-specific manner
- Allows for further downstream evaluation via generation of in vivo patient-derived xenografts
Lead Inventor:
Related Publications:
Tech Ventures Reference:
IR CU24025
Licensing Contact: Joan Martinez