One of the key issues hampering the development of effective treatments for prostate cancer is the lack of suitable, tractable, and patient-specific in vitro models that accurately recapitulate this disease.
In this review, we address the challenges of using primary cultures and patient-derived xenografts to study prostate cancer. We describe emerging approaches using primary prostate epithelial cells and prostate organoids and their genetic manipulation for disease modelling. Furthermore, the use of human prostate-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is highlighted as a promising complimentary approach. Finally, we discuss the manipulation of iPSCs to generate 'avatars' for drug disease testing. Specifically, we describe how a conceptual advance through the creation of living biobanks of "genetically engineered cancers" that contain patient-specific driver mutations hold promise for personalised medicine.
International journal of molecular sciences. 2020 Jan 30*** epublish ***
Anastasia C Hepburn, C H Cole Sims, Adriana Buskin, Rakesh Heer
Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Paul O'Gorman building, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK.
PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32019175