Organotypic primary blood vessel models of clear cell renal cell carcinoma for single-patient clinical trials

Lab Chip. 2020 Nov 24;20(23):4420-4432. doi: 10.1039/d0lc00252f.

Abstract

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a common genitourinary cancer associated with the development of abnormal tumor angiogenesis. Although multiple anti-angiogenic therapies have been developed, responses to individual treatment are highly variable between patients. Thus, the use of one-patient clinical trials has been suggested as an alternative to standard trials. We used a microfluidic device to generate organotypic primary patient-specific blood vessel models using normal (NEnC) and tumor-associated primary CD31+ selected cells (TEnC). Our model was able to recapitulate differences in angiogenic sprouting and vessel permeability that characterize normal and tumor-associated vessels. We analyzed the expression profile of vessel models to define vascular normalization in a patient-specific manner. Using this data, we identified actionable targets to normalize TEnC vessel function to a more NEnC-like phenotype. Finally, we tested two of these drugs in our patient-specific models to determine the efficiency in restoring vessel function showing the potential of the model for single-patient clinical trials.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell* / drug therapy
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy
  • Kidney Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic