Katherine A. Hoadley, PhD, a cancer genomics researcher at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, helped analyze data and plan and oversee a large international study that created one of the largest collections of cancer models grown from patient tumors.
Published in the journal Nature, the study includes 665 laboratory models derived from tumors from 637 patients representing 25 cancer types.
The research team, including Peyton Kuhlers, a member of the Hoadley laboratory at UNC, compared the models with patients' original tumors using genetic and other molecular data. They found that most models retained the key characteristics of the cancers from which they were created, even after being grown in a laboratory for a year or longer. The collection includes models of rare cancers, along with clinical information that may help researchers study how cancers respond to treatment and develop resistance to certain drugs.
Katherine A. Headley, PhD
The models and related data are being made available to researchers worldwide. The resource could help scientists better understand cancer and evaluate potential treatments. The study also found that laboratory growing conditions can alter some cancer cells, an important consideration for researchers using the models.
The full study is available at this link.
