Improve Research Reproducibility A Bio-protocol resource

Enhancing tumor microenvironment research: Simultaneous isolation of patient-derived organoids and matching CAFs

Speaker: Jenny M. Högström Moderator: Ilgen Mender

Online live: Apr 09, 2025 11:00 AM EST Views: 7164

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Abstract

Patient-derived organoids (PDOs) have revolutionized cancer research by preserving tumor heterogeneity and predicting drug responses. However, studying hormone receptor–positive (HR+) breast cancer remains challenging due to the low take rate of PDOs and the frequent loss of estrogen receptor (ER) expression over time. Additionally, the tumor microenvironment, particularly cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), plays a crucial role in disease progression and therapeutic resistance but is often excluded from in vitro models.

This webinar will feature an optimized protocol that enables the simultaneous propagation of HR+ PDOs and their matching CAFs from both primary and metastatic breast cancer samples. This approach significantly improves PDO take rates (~50%), maintains ER expression in long-term cultures, and incorporates CAFs to better model tumor–stroma interactions and resistance mechanisms.

Join us to explore the development and applications of this advanced dual culture system, its advantages over existing models, and its potential to enhance breast cancer research and therapy development.


Highlights

- Optimized protocol for simultaneous isolation of PDOs and matching CAFs.

- Improved take rate (~50%) and long-term ER expression retention.

- Advanced media formulation for culturing HR+ organoids from primary and metastatic tumors.

- Co-culture system for studying tumor–stroma interactions and drug resistance.

- Applications in therapy development and breast cancer research.

Speaker

Jenny M. Högström

Jenny M. Högström, Ph.D.

Instructor in Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Dr. Jenny M. Högström is an Instructor in Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard Medical School (HMS), where she is c...

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Moderator

 Ilgen Mender

Ilgen Mender, Ph.D.

Director of Biology Research, MAIA Biotechnology, Inc.

Dr. Ilgen Mender is a cancer biologist specializing in telomere and telomerase-targeted therapies for cancer treatment. She currently serves as the...

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Keywords

Patient-derived organoids (PDOs), Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), Tumor microenvironment, Co-culture model, Hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, Drug resistance, Metastatic breast cancer

References

1.

Högström, J. M. and Muranen, T. (2025). An Optimized Protocol for Simultaneous Propagation of Patient-derived Organoids and Matching CAFs. Bio-protocol 15(2): e5160. DOI: 10.21769/BioProtoc.5160.

2.

Hogstrom, J. M., Cruz, K. A., Selfors, L. M., Ward, M. N., Mehta, T. S., Kanarek, N., Philips, J., Dialani, V., Wulf, G., Collins, L. C., et al. (2023). Simultaneous isolation of hormone receptor–positive breast cancer organoids and fibroblasts reveals stroma-mediated resistance mechanisms. J Biol Chem. 299(8): 105021.

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15 Q&A

how to properly passage the organoid culture as I loose my culture growth mostly in first passage. Also how to count organoids for plating

edit 1 Answer 16 Views Mar 27, 2025
PD Pragnya Das

I am also interested in this question as I am new to Organoid cell culture

helpful 1 helpful
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will a recording of the webinar be available afterwards?

edit 1 Answer 10 Views Apr 8, 2025
Renate Weizbauer Renate Weizbauer

Thank you for your interest and yes, a recording will be made available after the webinar.

helpful 1 helpful
Join Discussion

Are we allowed to ask questions during or post webinar?

edit 1 Answer 8 Views Mar 28, 2025
Renate Weizbauer Renate Weizbauer

Hi, thank you for your interest, you can ask questions during the live webinar and the speaker will address them during Q&A.

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How can the simultaneous isolation of patient-derived organoids and matching cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) enhance tumor microenvironment resea

The simultaneous isolation of patient-derived organoids and matching cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) significantly enhances tumor microenvironment research by providing a more physiologically relevant model of tumor-stroma interactions. This approach allows for:

  1. Improved Tumor Modeling: By maintaining the native cellular composition and interactions, these models better mimic the in vivo tumor microenvironment, capturing critical aspects of cancer progression, metastasis, and response to therapy.
  2. Personalized Medicine Applications: Patient-derived organoids and CAFs enable personalized drug screening and biomarker discovery, helping to predict individual patient responses to various treatments and guiding precision oncology strategies.
  3. Understanding Tumor-Stroma Crosstalk: CAFs play a crucial role in modulating tumor growth, immune evasion, and therapeutic resistance. Studying them alongside organoids provides insights into tumor-stroma interactions, helping to identify novel therapeutic targets.
  4. High-Throughput Drug Screening: These co-culture systems facilitate large-scale testing of anti-cancer drugs, particularly those targeting the tumor microenvironment, leading to more effective treatment regimens.
  5. Advancing Immunotherapy Research: The presence of CAFs in organoid cultures allows for the evaluation of immune modulation strategies and the development of combination therapies targeting both tumor cells and the surrounding stroma.

Overall, the simultaneous isolation and culture of patient-derived organoids and matching CAFs bridge the gap between traditional 2D cancer models and in vivo studies, ultimately accelerating the development of more effective and personalized cancer treatments.

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edit 0 Answer 9 Views Mar 30, 2025

How can organoids and fibroblasts be characterized efficiently and accurately

How can organoids and fibroblasts be characterized efficiently and accurately

edit 0 Answer 5 Views Apr 1, 2025

What is the procedure to isolate the patient-derived organoids?

What is the procedure to isolate the patient-derived organoids?

edit 0 Answer 4 Views Mar 28, 2025

How do you isolate CAFs and cancer cells from a patient specimen to generate an organoid?

How can cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and cancer cells be isolated from a patient specimen to generate an organoid? would you use spectral sorter, a normal sorter? How can we enhance cell separation and ensure the purity of each population in this process? Which markers should we use?

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edit 0 Answer 3 Views Mar 31, 2025

How to develop a Biosensor that will help in dealing with tumor?

Good day sir, my question is on "how can we apply biosensors in dealing with tu

edit 0 Answer 2 Views Apr 1, 2025