"Mini" liver tumors were first manufactured in the laboratory

university has created a "mini" biological model of human primary liver cancer in a laboratory for the first time, according to the University of Cambridge's official website. Researchers say the tiny tumor model could be used to screen for new drugs for liver cancer, reduce the number of experimental animals, and even in the future to develop personalized therapies for liver cancer patients. The study was published in the latest issue
Journal.
primary liver cancer is the second deadliest cancer in the world. In order to better understand its pathogenesis and develop therapies, pathological models need to be developed in the laboratory to accurately simulate the performance of tumors in patients. Previously, scientists used cell cultures, but they were difficult to maintain or reproduce the 3D structure and tissue structure of human tumors.
In the latest study, scientists obtained tumor cells from eight patients, cultured them in special nutrients, and obtained "tumor organs" with a diameter of 0.5 mm, which can simulate the three most common primary liver cancers.
then, they tested the ller effects of 29 drugs using the tumor organ and found that a protein inhibitor inhibited the activity of the ERK protein, which appears on two "tumor organs", suggesting that the drug might be one of the preferred drugs for chemotherapy for liver cancer. They also implanted the two tumor organs in mice and treated them with the drug, and found a significant decrease in tumor development in the mice taking the drug, suggesting that the protease inhibitor significantly inhibited tumor growth in mice.
In addition, the tumor organ retains the gene expression patterns and tissue structure of primary human tumors, and three different types of tumor organs from different tumor tissues can be distinguished even if cultured in a petri dish for a long time, so the study is expected to play an important role in developing personalized therapies for patients.
, head of research at
, said: "We have previously used healthy liver organs to make organs, but the production of liver tumor organs is a key step in the field of cancer research. This will allow us to better understand the biological characteristics of liver cancer and ultimately develop personalized therapies for patients, as well as reduce the need for experimental animals. Although many studies still need to be validated by animal experiments, the new model gives cancer biologists more choice. (Source: Liu Xia, Science and Technology Daily)