We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Download Mobile App




Cancer Chip Accurately Predicts Patient-Specific Chemotherapy Response

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 30 Jun 2025

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), one of the two primary types of esophageal cancer, ranks as the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and currently lacks effective targeted therapies. More...

The standard treatment relies on chemotherapy, typically administered before surgery as neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), with the aim of reducing or controlling tumor growth. However, many patients develop resistance to specific NACT regimens, which leads to poor prognoses. Due to the absence of viable alternatives, both responders and non-responders often continue receiving available chemotherapies without knowing if they will be effective. Even for those who initially respond, the chosen chemotherapy may not fully halt tumor progression or prevent metastasis, and it frequently causes harmful side effects. A major unmet clinical need is the development of a personalized, patient-specific precision oncology tool capable of accurately forecasting individual responses to different NACTs in a timely manner.

Previously, scientists developed “organoids” from biopsied EAC cells—3D miniature esophageal tissues formed from tissue-specific stem cells that replicate essential characteristics of the esophageal epithelial lining. Yet, these organoids lack vital elements of the tumor microenvironment (TME), such as stromal fibroblasts and collagen structures, and therefore do not accurately mimic how real tumors respond to NACT. Now, a new collaboration between the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University (Boston, MA, USA) and McGill University Health Centre (Montreal, Canada) has led to a promising personalized medicine solution aimed at improving chemotherapy outcomes for EAC patients. The team utilized the Wyss Institute’s human Organ Chip microfluidic culture technology to co-culture patient-derived EAC organoids alongside stromal cells collected from the same biopsies, which were obtained by the McGill team as part of a clinical cohort study. This approach resulted in patient-specific Cancer Chip models that include essential components of the TME.

By reconstructing key aspects of the TME in vitro, the researchers significantly enhanced the accuracy of predicting how a patient’s tumor would respond to standard NACT, outperforming the traditional, simpler 3D organoid models. The method delivers results within 12 days from model initiation, allowing for the timely stratification of EAC patients into likely responders and non-responders. It also supports the testing of alternative NACTs using different chemotherapeutic agents for patients showing resistance—all within a clinically actionable timeframe. These findings have been published in the Journal of Translational Medicine.

“This patient-centered approach strongly builds on our previous successes using human Organ Chip technology to recapitulate each individual cancer patient's TME outside their body so that we can identify the drug combination that will work best for that very patient. This new way to approach personalized medicine could be implemented at clinical centers focusing on the care of patients suffering from many different types of cancer, such as the one run by our collaborators with patients who have esophageal cancer,” said Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., Founding Director at the Wyss Institute, who led the research. “Perhaps equally important, it can also be used as a pre-clinical testbed to break new ground in the development of tumor- or stroma-targeted therapies for cancer patients and enable the discovery of biomarkers that could be used to monitor and optimize drug effects in these patients."

Related Links:
Wyss Institute
McGill University Health Centre


New
Gold Member
Cardiovascular Risk Test
Metabolic Syndrome Array I & II
Serological Pipet Controller
PIPETBOY GENIUS
New
Automatic Hematology Analyzer
LABAS F9000
New
Sperm Quality Analyis Kit
QwikCheck Beads Precision and Linearity Kit
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: Pancreas cells (left) showing early stages of malignant cancer in brown and same cells stained blue (right) indicate they are Integrin β3 (ITGB3) positive (Photo courtesy of UC San Diego Health Sciences)

Gene Signature Could Serve as Early Warning System for Aggressive Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive and lethal forms of cancer, with early detection remaining a major challenge. Precancerous cells must overcome significant stress and... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The 3D paper-based analytical device has shown high clinical accuracy for adult-onset immunodeficiency (Photo courtesy of National Taiwan University)

Paper-Based Device Accurately Detects Immune Defects in 10 Minutes

Patients with hidden immune defects are especially vulnerable to severe and persistent infections, often due to autoantibodies that block interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), a key molecule in immune defense.... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The groundbreaking salmonella antimicrobial resistance prediction platform has demonstrated 95% accuracy (Photo courtesy of Yujie You et al., DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2025.01.013)

New Platform Leverages AI and Quantum Computing to Predict Salmonella Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella strains are a growing public health concern due to the overuse of antimicrobials and the rise of genetic mutations. Accurate prediction of resistance is crucial for effective... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: The Check4 gene-detection platform (Photo courtesy of IdentifySensors)

Electronic Biosensors Used to Detect Pathogens Can Rapidly Detect Cancer Cells

A major challenge in healthcare is the early and affordable detection of serious diseases such as cancer. Early diagnosis remains difficult due to the complexity of identifying specific genetic markers... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.