2022/03/11
Keio University School of Medicine
A research group led by Professor Toshiro Sato of The Sakaguchi Laboratory (Organoid Medicine), Keio University School of Medicine, has developed a novel drug screening system using patient-derived organoids.
By modifying conventional organoid culture techniques, this research group has achieved short-term, large-scale culturing of normal colon organoids and has succeeded in incorporating normal tissue into large-scale drug screening of patient-derived colorectal cancer organoids. Using this drug discovery platform, it has become possible to search not only for anticancer drugs effective against individual cancers but also for drugs that show specific efficacy against cancer with fewer side effects on normal tissues.
Professor Sato and his team developed organoid technology to perpetually culture patient tissues as "mini-organs" in culture dishes, and have since established organoid biobanks for many cancers, including colorectal and gastric cancer. Cancer cell lines, which are primarily used in conventional cancer drug discovery, have the drawback of not necessarily reflecting the properties of clinical tumors or their response to drugs. However, patient-derived cancer organoids retain many of the characteristics of the original patient's cancer tissue during culture and have recently begun to be applied in drug testing. Nevertheless, drug screening using normal tissue organoids was impossible because conventional organoid culture techniques could not culture normal tissues in large quantities and with high efficiency.
In this study, Professor Sato and his team succeeded in dramatically improving the culture efficiency of normal colon organoids by refining the culture method, developing a drug discovery platform that enables drug screening for both normal and cancerous tissues. Using this platform, they conducted a comprehensive screening of 56 drugs on 6 normal colon organoid lines and 20 patient-derived cancer organoid lines, obtaining highly accurate data on therapeutic effects.
As a result, they identified drugs that have little effect on normal colon tissue but are specifically effective against cancer, as well as anticancer drugs that are highly effective against certain types of colorectal cancer. This technology is widely applicable not only to the colon but also to other organs, and is expected to contribute to the future development of new drugs and the advancement of personalized medicine.
The results of this research were published in the online edition of the international scientific journal "Nature Chemical Biology" on March 10, 2022 (UK time).
For the full press release, please see below.