《Nature method》期刊以封面文章的形式發表一篇社論，公佈了2017年生命科學領域最有潛力的「年度技術」。

讓人感到不可思議的是，它既不是榮膺諾貝爾化學獎的冷凍電子顯微鏡技術，也不是紅遍大江南北的CRISPR，而是「名不見經傳」的類器官(organoids)。

而就在社論發表後不久，來自英國倫敦癌症研究所(The Institute of Cancer Research,ICR)Nicola Valeri就在《Science》上發表了最新研究，給了類器官一記完美助攻。 

Nicola Valeri帶領的研究團隊，過對71名已經出現轉移並且經歷了多種治療方案的晚期結腸癌和胃食道癌患者進行臨床實驗。首次證明，類器官可以準確預測抗癌藥物對患者的療效。

具體來說，如果一種抗癌藥物對於該患者的腫瘤類器官無效，那麼這種藥物100%對於該患者無效。反過來，如果一種藥物對於該患者的腫瘤類器官有效，那麼這種藥物有近90%的可能性對於該患者是有效的。

[摘要截錄]

PDX模型目前受到高成本和低吞吐量的限制。 在這項研究中，我們通過使用三維多孔纖維素海綿支架系統，設計了有助於培養來自一組14種不同HCC-PDX系的HCC-PDX類器官的體外條件。

此外，我們證明了使用這些體外HCC-PDX模型進行藥物測試的可行性，為更有效的HCC藥物開發臨床前研究鋪平了道路。

三維組織培養使體外觀察更貼近體內組織原始環境，已有多項研究發現，病人衍⽣類器官(Patient-derived Organoid, PDO)能提供更相近的生長環境，對於類器官觀察研究、藥物測試等皆比起二維培養有更好的效果。

本公司擁有自家『專利支架』⽣產以及『PDO培養專利』技術，在本產品中包含組織裂解、三維培養支架(CelluSponge)以及細胞培養套件組，提供完整PDO培養技術，能加速利用三維培養技術於類器官藥物測試的使用性與便利性。

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatments are evaluated by two‐dimensional (2D) in vitro culture systems, despite their limited ability to predict drug efficacy. The three‐dimensional (3D) microporous scaffold provides the possibility of generating more reliable preclinical models to increase the efficacy of cancer treatments. The physical properties of a microporous cellulosic scaffold were evaluated. The cellulosic scaffold was biocompatible and had a highly porous network with appropriate pore size, swelling rate, and stiffness of cancer cell cultures. Cellulosic scaffolds were compared with 2D polystyrene for the culture of HepG2 and Huh7 human HCC cells. Cellulosic scaffolds promoted tumor spheroid formation. Cells cultured on scaffolds were more resistant to chemotherapy drugs and showed upregulation of EpCAM and Oct4. The migration ability of HCC cells cultured on scaffolds was significantly greater than that of cells grown in 2D cultures as evidenced by the downregulation of E‐cadherin. In addition, the proportion of CD44+/CD133+ HCC cancer stem cells (CSCs) was significantly greater in cells cultured on scaffolds than in those grown in 2D cultures. These findings suggest that cellulosic scaffolds effectively mimic the in vivo tumor behavior and may serve as a platform for the study of anticancer therapeutics and liver CSCs.