This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
New preclinical model developed for testing cancer drugs
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Researchers from Indivumed GmbH in Hamburg, Germany, have developed a standardized protocol that allows testing of anticancer agents in a preclinical model established for colon, non–small cell lung and breast cancer.
The researchers aimed to eliminate some of the problems associated with the variability of drug response. With the new test, findings can be translated from commonly used cell lines to a preclinical model, which is similar to using the same drug in the clinical setting, enabling a better estimate of patients likely to respond to the treatment.
Additionally, it may help identify biomarkers that can predict drug response in patients.
Ilona Schonn, MD, director of Cell Culture Research at Indivumed GmbH, presented information on the model.
Tissue slices from resected colon (n=28), NSCLC (n=32) and breast cancer (n=12) tumors were examined to develop a model allowing detailed drug testing in a natural environment that would aid in identifying indications for clinical trials, prioritize drugs, support dose findings and individualize therapy.
“Based on freshly cultivated intact tissue from surgically treated cancer patients, we are now able to analyze numerous tumors from different patients, to identify differences in drug response between those patients and to understand variations of response in cell subtypes within one tumor,” Schonn said.
“Together with all the clinical patient data and several analytical test systems such as signaling pathway analysis, we have been able to characterize individual tumors in more detail,” Schonn said. “This will improve the understanding of drug effects and treatments, a step forward toward the goal of individualized cancer therapy.”
Schonn I. #PD-1013.