Circulating tumor cell-derived organoids
The small fraction of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that survive upon entering the bloodstream adopt a dormant state, reactivating days to decades later to form (micro)metastases.
CTC-derived organoids (CTCDOs) are invaluable for developing patient-derived models, establishing biobanks, exploring the biological characteristics of CTCs, and advancing studies on metastasis, enabling personalized treatment strategies, among other uses.
CTCs require reactivation in vivo in CTCDOs, which is achieved in vitro by adding factors to activate or inhibit pathways, such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK).
The specific conditions and factors required for CTCDO culture from different tumor types can be informed by organoids derived from those tumors.
The scarcity of CTCs for cultivating CTCDOs requires more precise sampling times, sites, and methods, as well as advanced separation techniques to obtain a greater quantity of viable CTCs from patients.
https://www.cell.com/trends/cell-biology/fulltext/S0962-8924(24)00210-1
https://sciencemission.com/The-culture-and-application-of-circulating-tumor-cell-derived-organoids
