Project Objectives
- Develop reliable and consistent methods for growing organoids from prostate and bladder cancer patient biopsies.
- Compare organoids with the original tumours to understand how closely they match at the genetic and molecular level.
- Test how these organoids behave, including their ability to grow, renew themselves, and respond to hormones or other signals.
- Build a platform that can replace many animal based tumour models by providing patient specific organoids for research.
3Rs Impact
- Provides an alternative to patient‑derived xenograft (PDX) models, which require large numbers of mice, with a high burden and low success-rate.
- Patient-derived organoids can be grown from small biopsy samples, and are compatible with synthetic, animal‑free matrices, further reducing the need for animal‑derived material.
- Enables drug testing and early‑stage research directly on organoids, and can support precision oncology through personalised drug testing.
Background
Understanding why some cancers resist treatment is a major challenge in oncology. Researchers often rely on animal models or traditional 2D cell lines, but these systems cannot fully capture the complexity of an individual patient’s tumour. Patient‑derived organoids (PDOs) offer a promising alternative: they are small, three‑dimensional structures grown from a patient’s own tumour cells and can mimic important features of the original cancer. However, current methods for growing organoids are inconsistent, especially for prostate and bladder cancers, which limits their usefulness in research and clinical decision‑making.
This project aims to develop a robust and standardised platform for generating high‑quality organoids from genitourinary (GU) cancer patients. By systematically testing different culture conditions and incorporating supporting stromal cells, the team will identify the most reliable methods for organoid growth. They will then compare the organoids to the original tumours using genomic and molecular analyses to ensure they accurately reflect patient biology. Finally, the project will assess how these organoids function, including their growth behaviour and treatment responses.
A dependable organoid platform will reduce the need for animal models, speed up research, and support more personalised approaches to cancer treatment.
