MEDUNI Vienna: Novel Model Enables Research of Individual Immune Responses for Colorectal Cancer
Predicting the optimal therapy for individual cancer patients is one of the most important goals of modern medicine. A MedUni Vienna research team led by Michael Bergmann (Department of General Surgery, MedUni Vienna/AKH Wien) and Matthias Farlik (Department of Dermatology, MedUni Vienna/AKH Wien) has now developed a model system for culturing individual colorectal cancer patient samples that include cancer cells as well as structural and immune cells. This new model allows researchers to test and optimize the individual effects of various cancer therapies. The study was recently published in the "Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer". The work was supported by a grant from the Comprehensive Cancer Centre Vienna of MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna from donations to MedUni Vienna's Cancer Research Run.
For several years, cancer cells from individual patients have been cultivated as so called "organoids". This form of cell culture, where the cancer cells grow in three-dimensional structures similar to those found in the body, preserves many of the cancer cell's original properties and allows doctors and researchers to assess the effectiveness of therapies for individual patients. Organoids are therefore a valuable alternative to traditional cell cultures. However, these cultures alone were not able to reliably predict the response to commonly used colorectal cancer therapies.
The MedUni Vienna-based research team has made a breakthrough by adding fibroblasts and monocytes to the organoid culture. Fibroblasts provide structure to both healthy and cancerous tissues, and monocytes are immune cells that differentiate into macrophages in the tissue and tumor, where they should contribute to initiating anti-tumoral immune responses. The team has demonstrated that these three cell types communicate with each other in the petri dish in a manner similar to what is observed in the body. "This new model system now allows researchers to study the therapeutic effects on the immune system in the context of personalized medicine," reports Michael Bergmann (Department of General Surgery, MedUni Vienna/AKH Wien).
More precise statements about individual cancer tissue
The team was also able to demonstrate, for the first time, that certain chemotherapies that have negative long-term effects on the immune system can actually lead to activation of the macrophages in the short term. "This new system allows for much more accurate assessments of the properties of individual, patient-specific tumor tissue," adds Matthias Farlik (Department of Dermatology, MedUni Vienna/AKH Wien). In the future, so the researcher, these advancements could lead to the development of personalized therapies for colorectal cancer patients. Moreover, the team is now able to test novel immunotherapies designed to support the immune system in fighting cancer, and they are optimistic that these advances will lead to improved treatment outcomes in the field of personalized medicine.
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