Patient-derived models: Promising tools for accelerating the clinical translation of breast cancer research findings

Breast cancer (BC) has become the most common cancer in women [1]. There is extensive, in depth, relevant research on nucleotide sequences, signaling pathways, cellular morphology and the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, many preclinical studies have obtained meaningful results that have not been translated into the clinic, and some new drugs are less effective in clinical experiments than in preclinical studies [2,3]. To bridge the gap between laboratory investigations and clinical practice, increase clinical translation, and ultimately reveal additional novel clinical therapies, preclinical research models that can thoroughly reflect the physiological structure of patient tumors need to be developed. To accomplish this, models need to retain the tumor microenvironment (TME), tumor structure, tumor heterogeneity, specific biomarkers, and the growth, differentiation and invasiveness features of tumors.

Initially, to obtain physiologically relevant results, researchers used patient-derived tissues to test the response to drugs. However, the survival time of the cells in these tissues is short, and a large number of crucial tumor factors are lost in such a model, so the available information is limited [4,5]. With the development of biomaterials, a series of preclinical models with longer cell survival times have been established from patient tissues, and these are called patient-derived models (PDMs). Tumors obtained from clinical patients were stored in culture medium or engrafted into animals in the form of tissue lumps or cell groups to form PDMs. At present, there are three main forms: explants, organoids and xenografts. PDMs originating from patient cancer tissues contain elements of the primary tumor, including the matrix, stromal cells, cancer cells, immune cells, blood vessels and cytokines, and maintain key clinical features of the tumor, such as invasiveness, proliferation ability and genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. These features make PDMs a promising research model to facilitate the translation of preclinical research into clinical practice; thus, in recent years, PDMs have been used throughout many cancer studies of parenchymal organs and hollow organs.

By selecting and applying appropriate and precise PDMs in breast cancer research, experiments can be carried out in near-physiological conditions, and more realistic and useful research results can be obtained, which is incredibly significant for the clinical translation of novel therapies for breast cancer. Here, by systematically reviewing the advantages, disadvantages and existing application status of PDMs in basic studies of breast cancer, we will improve the understanding of PDMs to facilitate their use on a large scale, promoting the clinical translation of breast cancer basic research and new drug development.

留言 (0)

沒有登入
gif