Tumour Organoid Biobank
Technology
The tumour organoid biobank has been developed at the Wellcome Sanger Institute to produce high-quality, validated organoid models that reflect the cellular and genetic heterogeneity of prevalent human cancers. It involved the derivation, culture, banking and genetic validation of organoid cell lines produced from tumour samples that were obtained from patients through biopsies and surgical resections.
In total, the organoid biobank consists of 281 clinically annotated tumour organoids from patients with colorectal, oesophageal, ovarian, pancreatic, gastric and mesothelial cancers. These models can be maintained as long-term, renewable, and genetically stable 3D cultures.
Main characteristics:
- They have been developed as part of the Human Cancer Model Initiative (HCMI) aiming to derive and genetically characterise organoid cell models from prevalent human carcinomas to produce high quality organoid models suitable for a vast range of downstream scientific research.
- Patient-derived next-generation organoid cancer models were derived from cancer tumour samples taken during surgical resection, expanded and cryobanked.
- Each model has passed strict quality controls to ensure successful and reliable long-term culturing.
- Selected models are available to the academic scientific community from the ATCC.
Advantages
- The organoid cancer models are extensively characterised with clinical, genomic and functional datasets.
- Characterisation data will be open-access and freely available through EGA and Cell Model Passports (https://cellmodelpassports.sanger.ac.uk/passports?model_type=organoid).
- Donor consent explicitly allows for commercial use.
Applications/Context
Organoid cancer models represent a novel in vitro platform for basic biological research and potential applications in drug testing and molecular medicine.
Use in various applications can complement existing experimental models. Potential applications include:
- Platforms for drug and CRISPR screening
- Immuno-oncology assays
- Compounds’ safety and toxicity testing
The Life Science business of Merck will be distributing organoids to academic and commercial researchers. The anticipated launch date is Q1 2026.
Contact
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