Patient-derived Explants
Patient-derived Explants - Related Videos
05:18
Derivation of Leptomeninges Explant Cultures from Postmortem Human Brain Donors
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Cited by 5 •
2017
The leptomeninges explant culture protocol from human postmortem brain is a technically robust and simple way to derive fibronectin-positive meningeal fibroblasts within 6-8 weeks and cryopreserve approximately 20-30 million cells.
07:42
Patient-Derived Tumor Explants As a "Live" Preclinical Platform for Predicting Drug Resistance in Patients
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Cited by 5 •
2021
This paper describes methods for the generation, drug treatment, and analysis of patient-derived explants for assessing tumor drug responses in a live, patient-relevant, preclinical model system.
03:21
Zebrafish Patient-Derived Xenograft (zPDX): A Cancer Model
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2023
This video describes the technique to create a zebrafish patient derived xenograft model. In the sample protocol, we assess the efficiency of the drugs Gemcitabine and Navitoclax on the pancreatic tumor xenograft model.
06:48
In Ovo Xenografting of Patient-Derived Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Cells (PDX-ALL)
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2025
This protocol describes in ovo xenografting of patient-derived B- and T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells, which occurs 4 days following injection.
03:16
Patient-derived Xenograft Modeling: A Technique to Generate Melanoma Mouse Models
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2023
In this video, human-derived melanoma cells are implanted subcutaneously into the flank region of an immunocompromised mouse. The PDX model allows preclinical investigation of melanoma cells that better recapitulate the tumor heterogeneity and melanoma aggressiveness observed in in vivo conditions.
FAQs
The approach maintains tissue fragments with their native cellular organization rather than separating tumor cells from surrounding structures. As a result, cancer cells remain associated with stromal cells and extracellular matrix, preserving local interactions that can influence tumor behavior. This organization helps investigators examine cancer biology in a setting that more closely reflects the original patient tissue.
Stromal cells and extracellular matrix provide important context for cancer-cell behavior and cell-to-cell signaling. Their retention allows researchers to investigate how tumor and non-tumor components interact, including processes connected with invasion and treatment response. Examining these relationships can reveal effects that may be missed when cancer cells are studied in more simplified culture systems.
Simplified cultures may focus primarily on isolated cancer cells, whereas Patient-derived Explants retain cancer cells together with stromal cells, extracellular matrix, and aspects of native tissue organization. This broader composition can preserve more of the tumor’s patient-specific heterogeneity. Consequently, explants provide a complementary model for evaluating tumor behavior and therapy responses in a more complex biological context.
Researchers begin with surgical or biopsy material, dissect it into viable tissue pieces, and maintain those pieces under controlled culture conditions. The preparation is intended to retain native organization and interactions while keeping the tissue viable outside the body. This workflow creates material suitable for examining tumor biology, signaling, invasion, or responses to anticancer therapies.
Cultured explants can support direct investigation of tumor biology, interactions between cancer and stromal cells, and signaling within the retained tissue environment. They also allow researchers to examine invasive behavior and observe how the patient-derived tissue responds to anticancer therapies. Together, these readouts connect cellular behavior with the structure and heterogeneity present in the original tumor material.
They are particularly useful when a study needs to evaluate anticancer therapies in patient-specific tissue rather than in a simplified model alone. Because explants can retain elements of tumor heterogeneity and the surrounding microenvironment, drug evaluation may better reflect differences among patient samples. This makes the approach relevant to research seeking to advance personalized treatment strategies.