Selecting the right systemic therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) remains a major challenge—many patients still don’t benefit from standard regimens, yet experience toxicity and lose valuable time. Patient-derived organoids (PDOs) offer a functional approach: grow a patient’s tumor cells ex vivo and test drug sensitivity directly, potentially complementing genomic biomarkers and improving treatment selection.

In this webinar, we’ll discuss findings from the multicenter prospective OPTIC study, which evaluates whether PDO drug response correlates with clinical response and survival outcomes. We’ll review what drives successful PDO establishment from metastatic biopsies, how standardized drug screening was performed (including key readouts and cutoffs), and how PDO sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin aligned with radiologic response, progression-free survival, and overall survival—plus what it could take to bring PDO-guided therapy closer to routine practice.

Key Topics Include:

  • Explain why functional PDO testing is being pursued to improve response prediction in mCRC
  • Identify patient- and process-related factors associated with successful PDO establishment from metastatic biopsies
  • Describe the OPTIC study workflow and how PDO drug sensitivity was quantified (e.g., GRAUC/AUC, sensitivity cutoffs)
  • Interpret the reported predictive performance for 5-FU/oxaliplatin (PPV/NPV, AUROC) and links to PFS/OS
  • Discuss practical considerations and limitations for clinical implementation (timelines, standardization, next-trial needs)

Presenters

Senior Scientist and Project Leader
HUB Organoids

Dr. Yasmine Abouleila completed her PhD in Biomedical and Health Sciences at Hiroshima University, Japan, where she focused on identifying new diagnostic biomarkers for early cancer detection through circulating tumor cells. Since joining the oncology department at HUB Organoids in 2022, she has been responsible for leading and designing several cancer research and immuno-oncology projects.

Production Partner

HUB Organoids

HUB Organoids is the global IP rights holder in patient-derived organoid technology and part of the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. We provide contract research using adult stem cell-derived organoids to generate clinically relevant insights for drug discovery.

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