Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital announced on Apr. 16 the development of patient-derived tumor organoids and tumor organoid xenografts that closely replicate the biology of embryonal brain tumors in children.
The new laboratory models aim to address longstanding challenges in pediatric brain tumor research, where the quality and availability of effective study tools have limited progress in identifying and testing new treatments.
These advanced models use recent technical innovations to enable faster functional assays and preclinical drug testing without depending on fresh tumor samples. The researchers have made these resources available to others upon request, which could help move the field forward. The findings were published in Science Advances.
Pediatric brain and central nervous system tumors remain a leading cause of disease-related death among children in the United States each year. Traditional laboratory models such as patient-derived orthotopic xenografts preserve important features of tumors but are often costly and time-consuming to create.
"Some patient-derived tumor models can take months to develop, which slows research and increases costs," said Martine Roussel, PhD, corresponding author from the St. Jude Department of Tumor Cell Biology.
Roussel's team created their organoid-based models using several types of pediatric brain tumors, including medulloblastoma, embryonal tumor with multilayer rosettes, and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors. Molecular analyses showed that these new models maintain genetic, epigenetic, and cellular diversity similar to original tumors. Drug testing revealed comparable responses between lab-grown organoids and their corresponding xenograft versions implanted into mice.
Roussel emphasized that making these organoid models widely available is an important step: "Not everyone has the resources to develop these types of models," explained Roussel."These organoids are available to researchers upon request, allowing more scientists to use them to advance the study of pediatric brain tumors."
