Optically Based Rapid Screening Method for Proven Optimal Treatment Strategies before Treatment Begins.

摘要

This award seeks to develop high-throughput optical metabolic imaging (OMI) of primary breast tumor organoids (three-dimensional cultures of tumors) to rapidly test/screen breast cancer therapeutics as a strategy to streamline drug development and provide individualized treatment. The results outlined in this progress report indicate that OMI in primary breast tumor organoids can provide early, sensitive measures of treatment response. This system can therefore be used to streamline pre-clinical drug development, by reducing the number of animals, cost, and time required to screen new drugs and drug combinations. The feasibility of OMI measurements in organoids derived from primary human breast tumors has also been demonstrated, with the exciting possibility of providing individualized drug screens in patients before the patient is ever treated. This personalized drug planning approach could reduce toxicities of ineffective treatments, and enable improved outcomes through early, effective interventions. The single-cell analysis capabilities of this technique also have the potential to identify drug combinations that will eliminate treatment-resistant sub-populations of cells that are likely to cause metastases.