Patient-derived organoids across cancers reveal conserved tumor heterogeneity and actionable therapeutic vulnerabilities.

TitlePatient-derived organoids across cancers reveal conserved tumor heterogeneity and actionable therapeutic vulnerabilities.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2026
AuthorsKuo H-H, Bhinder B, Gokozan HN, Gorski K, Chandra P, Manohar J, Guevara D, Otilano J, Moyer J, Tranquille M, Ackermann S, Capuano J, Cheung C, Caiazza TA, Reuben PL, Tsomides AMurray, Irizarry A, Sigouros M, Wilkes D, King A, Kane T, Assaad MAl, Zoughbi WAl, Ohara K, Auh J, Waltman P, Rowdo FPMadorsky, Podaza E, Gallegos V, Nguyen J, Shah R, Shah M, Ocean A, Scherr D, Altorki N, Frey M, Molina AM, Newman L, Bea V, Chapman-Davis E, Goncalves MD, Saxena A, Shukla PJ, Holcomb K, Simmons R, Tagawa S, Zippin JH, Cantillo E, Chandwani R, Davis M, Garrett K, Kasi PM, Marti J, Nanus D, Nauseef JT, Popa E, Siddiqui MT, Alonso A, Sternberg CN, Faltas BM, Elemento O, Mosquera JMiguel, Sboner A, M Martin L
JournalSci Adv
Volume12
Issue26
Paginationeadz3351
Date Published2026 Jun 26
ISSN2375-2548
KeywordsAntineoplastic Agents, Drug Resistance, Neoplasm, Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic, Genetic Heterogeneity, Humans, Mutation, Neoplasms, Organoids, Phthalazines, Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors, Precision Medicine
Abstract

We developed a pan-cancer patient-derived organoid (PDO) platform comprising 220 PDOs from 191 patients across 15 cancer types to advance functional precision oncology. Comprehensive characterization demonstrated high fidelity to parent tumors, with 93% histopathology concordance, 80% median genomic concordance for driver mutations, and a 0.85 median gene expression correlation. Expression profiles remained largely stable over 10 passages, ensuring reproducibility for long-term screening. Clonality analysis showed that 85% of dominant tumor clones were preserved, with genomic concordance directly reflecting clonal similarity. Even PDOs with lower concordance retained key oncogenic drivers, validating their utility as disease models. Functional assays revealed that 58% of PDOs from patients ineligible for US Food and Drug Administration-approved poly(adenosine 5'-diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibitors were sensitive to talazoparib, linked to DNA damage repair alterations. Furthermore, combination screens identified agents that overcome resistance, particularly in TP53-mutant models. Our platform enables the investigation of targeted therapies and molecular drivers of drug sensitivity, providing translational insights for personalized treatment beyond current biomarker guidelines.

DOI10.1126/sciadv.adz3351
Alternate JournalSci Adv
PubMed ID42361179
PubMed Central IDPMC13308604