Researchers used cells taken from 71 patients with colon and rectal cancer and grew miniature 3-D tumors that were specific to each person.
What they did: Scientists tested 55 different drugs—some currently available and others experimental—on all the mini-tumors (also known as “organoids”).
The findings: The technique was better at predicting whether a drug would work against a patient’s cancer than simply sequencing a tumor’s DNA. The organoids were 88 percent successful at forecasting whether a patient would respond well to a given drug and were always correct when it came to predicting that a therapy would not be effective, according to results published in the journal Science.
Don’t settle for half the story.
Get paywall-free access to technology news for the here and now.
