For years, researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (U of U) have honed a process of developing breast cancer models using tumors donated by breast cancer patients, which they then implant into mice as a way to study the tumor’s behavior.
The study, published this week in the journal Nature Cancer, creates a way for researchers to narrow the number of drugs that might be effective in each tumor based on its unique characteristics and its behavior in the laboratory models of the cancer. Using this resource, the researchers uncovered experimental and Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs with high efficacy against the models. They extended this work to personalize therapy for a patient with metastatic breast cancer, which resulted in a complete response for the patient and a progression-free survival period more than three times longer than her previous therapies.
“We were able to utilize the data to prioritize therapy options for a patient,” says Alana Welm, PhD, co-lead author, breast cancer researcher at Huntsman Cancer Institute, and professor of oncological sciences at the U of U. “While this therapy was unfortunately not curative, it led to regression of the patient’s tumor and a longer survival period.”
Welm says this unique bank of tumor models is critical to advancing research on aggressive breast cancers. “It is also, to our knowledge, the first time that such models have been used to influence the therapy choice of a breast cancer patient in a clinical trial setting.”
Please find more information on University of Utah website, news, “RESEARCH TEAM OUTLINES NEW METHODS TO IDENTIFY PERSONALIZED DRUG TREATMENTS FOR BREAST CANCER”.
BIOMEDICA CRO has already collected more than 84000 biospecimens for scientists from Europe, Canada, USA and Japan since 2017. Our primary area is oncology studies (breast, colorectal, endometrial, prostate, and other types of cancer). In addition, we have contracted 50+ sites and departments with different disease areas.
Our team is proud to participate in preclinical trials, research on new biomarkers and screening tests.
Please email us office@biomedica-cro.com to receive high-quality human biospecimens and associated data for your studies.
