Gene expressions and their significance in organoid cultures obtained from breast cancer patient-derived biopsies.

ABSTRACT

Gene expression changes are one of the hallmarks of malignant cells and such changes in specific genes have been identified for a variety of human cancers. Such an association in gene expression changes becomes very significant for breast cancers due to the genetic heterogeneity seen in such cancers. It is due to such genetic implication that breast cancers are classified into several subtypes; based on the expression and the magnitude of expression of estrogen and progesterone receptor genes. Changes in the expression of ERBB2, ESR1, PLAU, MUC1, PGR, and TP53 are implicated in breast cancers. Of the various models available for cancer research, organoid cultures from patient-derived biopsies are being considered as the most relevant for invitro testing. Organoid cultures derived from patient biopsies mitigate several limitations of other commonly available models such as cancer cell lines. Such organoids retain the functional physiology of solid tumors which include gene expression. Also, utilizing patient derived organoids for in vitro testing paves way for personalized medicine which greatly enhances the effectiveness of cancer therapy for individuals. We present the genes implicated in breast cancers, the ways in which organoids can be derived from breast cancer biopsies and their applications for gene expression studies.