Developing a stem-cell prostate organoid model - reducing global animal usage in prostate development and cancer studies

This award aims to validate a method for differentiating human iPSCs into 3D layered prostate-like structures replacing the need for cells from rodents to induce differentiation.

Improving preclinical models to increase translatability and reduce drug attrition in clinical trials is a priority in cancer research. In vitro and in vivo models are used but lack all of the biological characteristics of cancer cells and there has been considerable investment in developing complex in vitro systems to incorporate the various genetic mutations seen in patients. Dr Adriana Buskin has previously developed a prostate organoid model using human iPSCs that can also be genetically manipulated to incorporate patient-relevant mutations. However, the model currently requires rodent inductive urogenital mesenchymal cells to provide the chemical cues needed to induce iPSC differentiation. In her Fellowship, Adriana will validate a new method of inducing differentiation without the need for cells from rodents by confirming the specific chemical cues using transcriptomic data.