As bioprocessing evolves, more than conventional cell lines come into play. In some cases, the bioprocessing of treatments will depend on biobanks of complex tissues. One example involves brain cancer in children.
Pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors remain the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children, yet progress in developing effective therapies has been limited by the scarcity of viable research material. Traditional brain cancer biobanks rarely store live patient-derived cells, restricting opportunities for testing drug sensitivity and modeling disease biology.
To address this critical gap, Emon Nasajpour, MD, a graduate research assistant at Stanford University Medical School, and his colleagues have established a biorepository containing viable cell dissociates and tissue from 39 distinct pediatric CNS tumor entities, collected from over 130 patient samples. This carefully curated collection mirrors the distribution of tumor subtypes reported in the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States, offering a representative platform for research with some exceptions.
As Nasajpour and his colleagues noted: “We established a standardized bioprocessing pipeline that can be used as a template for tissue collection and model development in the broader disease context and for multiple downstream applications.”
Refining growth conditions
By refining growth conditions, the team successfully generated low-grade glioma models that were validated using immunophenotyping and molecular profiling, ensuring fidelity to the original tumors.
One promising example comes from analyzing RNA expression in a patient’s pilocytic astrocytoma. When compared with data from over 12,000 brain and non-brain tumor samples, distinct outliers emerged. Subsequent testing of these targets in patient-matched cancer models confirmed their vulnerability to specific pharmacological inhibitors—highlighting new potential drug targets.
This pioneering biobank demonstrates how patient-derived models can accelerate the discovery and validation of personalized treatment strategies. By preserving live tumor material, researchers can explore drug vulnerabilities and develop tailored therapies aimed at improving outcomes for children facing these devastating cancers.
Ultimately, this effort underscores the potential of biobanking to transform pediatric neuro-oncology, turning limited options into opportunities for precision medicine and bringing hope to patients and families in urgent need.
As Nasajpour and his colleagues concluded: “Patient-derived cancer models facilitate identifying and validating drug vulnerability, creating an opportunity for rapid translation of personalized treatment for patients with CNS tumors.”