Modelling esophageal adenocarcinoma and Barrett's esophagus with patient-derived organoids

• Published in: Frontiers in molecular biosciences Vol. 11; p. 1382070
• Main Authors: Milne, Julia V, Mustafa, Ebtihal H, Clemons, Nicholas J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 24.04.2024
• Subjects: Barrett’s esophagus; esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC); esophageal cancer (EC); models of cancer; Molecular Biosciences; organoids; patient-derived organoid (PDO); esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC); Barrett’s esophagus; organoids; models of cancer; tumorigenesis; esophageal cancer (EC); patient-derived organoid (PDO)
• ISSN: 2296-889X; 2296-889X
• DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1382070

Currently, esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) research is hindered by a dearth of adequate models to study this disease. Traditional cell line and genetically engineered mouse models are lacking in biological and physiological significance, whilst the inefficiency of patient-derived xenografts limit their potential applications. This review describes the landscape of EAC research using patient-derived organoids (PDOs). Here, we detail the methods of establishment and optimization of EAC PDO cultures, as well as current and prospective applications of these models. We further highlight a crucial knowledge gap in the mechanisms of EAC transformation from its precursor lesion, Barrett's esophagus (BE). As such, we also describe the culture requirements of BE PDOs and attempts to model tumorigenesis using PDO models.