Unveiling Therapeutic Opportunities with Melanoma Patient-derived Organoid Models

Summary

Here, we present a protocol to generate melanoma patient-derived organoids by culturing disassociated cell suspensions from fresh melanoma tissues. These organoids faithfully recapitulate patient-specific tumors in vitro, offering an innovative approach to exploring tumor immunosuppressive mechanisms, drug screening, drug resistance mechanisms, and cancer surveillance approaches.

Abstract

With the development of immunotherapy, there is an ongoing need to develop models that can recapitulate the tumor microenvironment of native tumors. While traditional two- and three-dimensional models can offer insights into cancer development and progression, these lack crucial aspects that hinder a faithful mimic of native tumors. An alternative model that has gained a lot of attention is the patient-derived organoid. The development of these organoids recapitulates the complex intercellular communication, tumor microenvironment, and histoarchitecture of tumors. This paper describes the protocol for establishing melanoma patient-derived organoid (MPDO) models. To validate these models, we assessed the immune cell composition, including the expression levels of T-cell activation markers, to confirm the cellular heterogeneity of the organoids. Additionally, to describe the potential utility of MPDOs in cellular therapies, we evaluated the cytotoxic capabilities of treating the organoids with γδ T-cells. In conclusion, the MPDO models offer promising avenues for understanding tumor complexity, validating therapeutic strategies, and potentially advancing personalized treatment.

Introduction

Conventional 2-D cell culture models are essential tools in cancer research for studying cancer progression and therapy¹. These models not only allow for controlled experimental conditions to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying cancer development and progression but also provide cost-effective and relatively rapid experimental results. Their usage, however, is restricted due to the limited cellular diversity in the tumor microenvironment (TME), which cannot be recapitulated in a coplanar nature of mono-culture models². Additionally, cell culture models offer an oversimplified environment compared....

Protocol

Human melanoma tissues were obtained from patients receiving treatment at the University of Pennsylvania using the tissue collection protocol (UPCC08607) that is approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Pennsylvania. All patients have signed informed consent. Following resection of the human melanoma tissues, the tumor tissue is placed in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) and kept at 4 °C until processing (within 6 h). Melanoma patient-derived organoids (MPDOs) were derived from a fr.......

Discussion

The emergence of PDOs has addressed multiple limitations posed by other previously established cancer research methods while introducing transformative potential applications in the field. This organoid technology was initially proposed in 2009 by Hans Clevers and colleagues, who were able to successfully establish an intestinal organoid culture system by culturing Lgr5⁺ stem cells derived from the intestine of mice in a 3D matrix gel containing R-sponsin, EGF, and Noggin factors²⁰. A f.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
2 mL Red Cap Internal Threaded Polypropylene Cryogenic Vial	Corning	431420
50 mL Polypropylene Conical Tube	Corning	352070
100 mm TC-treated Cell Culture Dish	Corning	353003
105 mm Polystyrene Forceps Sterile	Caplugs Evergreen	222-1121-B1I
150 cm2 Cell Culture Flask	Corning	CLS430825
A83-01	Tocris	2939
Advanced DMEM/F12 (1x) Reduced Serum Medium (1:1)	Gibco	12634-010
B-27 Supplement (50x)	Gibco	17504-044
Brilliant Violet 510 anti-human Perforin Antibody	BioLegend	308120
Brilliant Violet 605 anti-human Ki-67 Antibody	BioLegend	350522
Brilliant Violet 650 anti-human CD366 (Tim-3) Antibody	BioLegend	345028
Brilliant Violet 711 anti-human CD45 Antibody	BioLegend	304050
Cell Culture Inserts 0.4 µm, 30 mm Diameter	Millipore Sigma	PIHP03050
Cell Staining Buffer	BioLegend	420201
Cell Strainer 40 µm Nylon	Corning	352340
Cell Strainer 70 µm Nylon	Corning	352350
Collagenase, Type IV, powder	Gibco	17104019
Cultrex Rat Collagen I	Trevigen	3440-100-01
Culture Plate, PS, 48 wells, TC treated with lid, sterile	Max Scientific	07-6048
Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) Hybri-Max	Sigma-Aldrich	D2650
DMEM - high glucose 4.5 mg/mL	Corning	MT10-0130CV
Dnase I - Grade II	Millipore Sigma	10104159001
DPBS, 1%	Corning	21-031-CV
Fetal Bovine Serum, FBS	Corning	MT35-010-CV
FITC Annexin V Apoptosis Detection Kit I	BD Biosciences	556547
Forskolin	Tocris	1099
Geneticin Selective Antibiotic (G418 Sulfate) (50 mg/mL)	ThermoFisher	10131035
GlutaMAX Supplement	ThermoFisher	35050061
Ham's F12 Nutrient Mix	ThermoFisher	11765054
HEPES (1 M)	Gibco	15630-080
Hygromycin B (50 mg/mL)	ThermoFisher	10687010
L-Glutamine 200 mM (100x)	Gibco	25030-081
L-WRN cell	ATCC	CRL-3276
Matrigel Phenol Free & Growth Fact. Reduced	Corning	356231
Millex PVDF syringe filter, 0.22 μM	Millipore Sigma	SLGVR33RB
N-Acetylcysteine	Sigma-Aldrich	A9165-5G
Nicotinamide	Sigma-Aldrich	N0636-100G
Nunc TripleFlask Treated Cell Culture Flask	ThermoFisher	132867
PE/Cyanine5 anti-human CD8a Antibody	BioLegend	301010
PE-Cy 7 Mouse anti-Human CD279 (PD-1)	BD Biosciences	561272
Pen Strep	Gibco	15140-122
Recombinant Human EGF	Peprotech	AF-100-15-1MG
Recombinant Human FGF-acidic	Peprotech	100-17A
Sodium Bicarbonate Solution (NaHCO3) (7.5%)	Quality Biological	118-085-721
Stainless Steel Surgical Blades no. 22	Integra	4-322
TrypLE Express	Gibco	12604-021