Tumor Organoids

Cancer cell biology research in general, and anti-cancer drug development specifically, still relies on standard cell culture techniques that place the cells in an unnatural environment. As a consequence, growing tumor cells in plastic dishes places a selective pressure that substantially alters their original molecular and phenotypic properties.The emerging field of regenerative medicine has developed bioengineered tissue platforms that can better mimic the structure and cellular heterogeneity of in vivo tissue, and are suitable for tumor bioengineering research. Microengineering technologies have resulted in advanced methods for creating and culturing 3-D human tissue. By encapsulating the respective cell type or combining several cell types to form tissues, these model organs can be viable for longer periods of time and are cultured to develop functional properties similar to native tissues. This approach recapitulates the dynamic role of cell–cell, cell–ECM, and mechanical interactions inside the tumor. Further incorporation of cells representative of the tumor stroma, such as endothelial cells (EC) and tumor fibroblasts, can mimic the in vivo tumor microenvironment. Collectively, bioengineered tumors create an important resource for the in vitro study of tumor growth in 3D including tumor biomechanics and the effects of anti-cancer drugs on 3D tumor tissue. These technologies have the potential to overcome current limitations to genetic and histological tumor classification and development of personalized therapies.

Organoid Technology for Disease Modelling and Personalised Treatment provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge of the organoid as a human-organ-in-a-dish, a powerful new technology for studying fundamental aspects of human organ development and disease progression in the search for drugs for personalised treatment. This preclinical tool is extensively being utilised as a model for studying human diseases in a dish, which is critical for accurate predictive modelling in precision medicine. The chapters in this book introduces readers to the numerous applications of organoids in various fields of study, as well as ethical considerations associated with organoids. In stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, where chimaera research, biomaterials for tissue vascularisation, gene-editing technologies, and their use in clinical procedures especially issues related to ethical concern over the use of human organoids have gotten much attention. Organoid Technology for Disease Modelling and Personalised Treatment is an excellent resource for in-depth research on one of the most interesting and significant topics in stem cell and regenerative medicine. This book's chapter collection covers a fresh viewpoint on organoid technology that scholars will require reading.

Precision medicine has the potential to revolutionize cancer care by identifying promising treatment strategies specific to each patient's disease. While advances in genome sequencing have facilitated the identification of mutations within tumors, only a small number of strict relationships between gene alterations and drug response have been established. Functional precision medicine is an emerging paradigm that exposes living patient-derived tissue to drugs to observe response. The work presented in this thesis will describe the development and implementation of high-throughput platforms for organoid screening. First, I will discuss the varied approaches that have been used to model tumors in vitro. Then, I will present our findings from screening organoids derived from 127 patients with sarcoma specimens collected at UCLA. Next, I describe the development of a pipeline for screening bioprinted organoids with high-speed live cell interferometry to enhance consistency and assess response to treatment with single-organoid resolution. Finally, I will detail the development of new methods for screening radiotherapy and liver-metabolized prodrugs on tumor organoids. This work contributes to the overall goal of creating robust, automated, and informative organoid screening pipelines for the implementation of functional precision medicine in clinical oncology.

The aim of volume 7 of Human Cell Culture is to provide clear and precise methods for growing primary cultures of adult stem cells from various human tissues and describe culture conditions in which these adult stem cells differentiate along their respective lineages. The book will be of value to biomedical scientists and of special interest to stem cell biologists and tissue engineers. Each chapter is written by experts actively involved in growing human adult stem cells.

This volume provides a comprehensive collection of classical and cutting edge protocols and techniques to examine the normal development and physiological functions of the gastrointestinal system and to model the most common digestive diseases. The chapters focus on diverse research topics including ex vivo systems to study gastrointestinal development and functions, in vivo imaging of the gastrointestinal tract, isolation and characterization of intestinal immune cells, and animal models of gastrointestinal inflammation and cancer. The Gastrointestinal Physiology and Diseases: Methods and Protocols book targets wide audience of physiologists, cell and developmental biologists, immunologists, and physician-scientists working in the field of gastroenterology and beyond. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Highly practical and clearly written, Gastrointestinal Physiology and Diseases: Methods and Protocols will serve both seasoned researchers as well as newcomers to the field and will provide a unique resource and expert guidance to modern laboratory techniques developed for examining normal functions and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.