Information for patients
Information for patients
Cancer organoids can be grown from most patients, however, further research is required to determine whether the responses of organoids to anti-cancer drugs can predict the likely efficacy of the drugs for each patient.
Recent data from Europe and the USA indicate that a combination of patient, genetic and organoid drug response data allow reliable predictions of the drugs which are likely to help patients
In 2018 ALOA is aiming to start clinical trials in Melbourne to measure the power of the colon and rectal cancer organoid drug sensitivity assays for predicting the responses of patients to specific anti-cancer therapies
Find out how to participate in ALOA research
Medical oncology clinician researcher
Drug sensitivity tests
Organoids are grown as muliple cultures in the laboratory
Organoids in individual cultures can be treated with different amounts and combinations of anti-cancer drugs
Drug response is measured by analysing the changes in size, the number of dead cells or their ability to produce energy
We predict the patient will achieve a good response to a drug when the cancer organoid from that individual responds to low concentrations of an anti-cancer drug
If the drug has little to no effect on a cancer organoid, we predict that drug will not help the patient
