Living biobank-based cancer organoids: prospects and challenges in cancer research

Biobanks bridge the gap between basic and translational research.Traditional cancer biobanks typically contain normal and tumor tissues,and matched blood.However,biospecimens in traditional biobanks are usually nonrenewable.In recent years,increased interest has focused on establishing living biobanks,including organoid biobanks,for the collection and storage of viable and functional tissues for long periods of time.The organoid model is based on a 3D in vitro cell culture system,is highly similar to primary tissues and organs in vivo,and can recapitulate the phenotypic and genetic characteristics of target organs.Publications on cancer organoids have recently increased,and many types of cancer organoids have been used for modeling cancer processes,as well as for drug discovery and screening.On the basis of the current research status,more exploration of cancer organoids through technical advancements is required to improve reproducibility and scalability.Moreover,given the natural characteristics of organoids,greater attention must be paid to ethical considerations.Here,we summarize recent advances in cancer organoid biobanking research,encompassing rectal,gastric,pancreatic,breast,and glioblastoma cancers.Living cancer biobanks that contain cancerous tissues and matched organoids with different genetic backgrounds,subtypes,and individualized characteristics will eventually contribute to the understanding of cancer and ultimately facilitate the development of innovative treatments.

Organoid models of gastrointestinal Neoplasms:Origin,current status and future applications in personalized medicine

The in vitro organoid model is a major technological breakthrough that has been established as an important tool in many basic biological and clinical applications.This near-physiological 3D culture system accurately models various biological processes,including tissue renewal,stem cell/niche functions and tissue responses to drugs,mutations or damage.Organoids have the potential value of being an accurate model for disease predictions or drug screening applications and to identify the ideal treatment for that patient.Carcinogenesis can be modeled by mutating specific cancer genes in wild-type organoids;and patient-derived organoids provide an important resource in the development of personalized cancer treatment.Organoids from cancer patients could be used to identify the ideal treatment for a specific patient by growing matched healthy and diseased organoids from human cancer patients which additionally enables clinical screens for drug combinations.Organoids could also provide autologous cells ordin the futuredtissue for transplantation.In this review,we discuss the current advances,challenges and potential applications of this technique in gastrointestinal neoplasms.