Lab-grown ‘mini-colons’ enable the simulation of colorectal tumor dynamics and the high-resolution study of interactions with cells from the tumor’s native microenvironment. These next-generation organoids offer a wealth of new experimental opportunities, propelling the frontiers of cancer modeling in multiple directions.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Sveen, A., Kopetz, S. & Lothe, R. A. Biomarker-guided therapy for colorectal cancer: strength in complexity. Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol. 17, 11–32 (2020). This review article presents the complexity of CRC clinical management.
Sontheimer-Phelps, A., Hassell, B. A. & Ingber, D. E. Modelling cancer in microfluidic human organs-on-chips. Nat. Rev. Cancer 19, 65–81 (2019). This review article summarizes the strengths and limitations of cancer modeling in microfluidic devices.
Nikolaev, M. et al. Homeostatic mini-intestines through scaffold-guided organoid morphogenesis. Nature 585, 574–578 (2020). This paper reports the establishment of mini-guts from mouse small intestine.
Lorenzo-Martín, L. F. et al. Spatiotemporally resolved colorectal oncogenesis in mini-colons ex vivo. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07330-2 (2024). This paper reports the establishment of tumorigenesis models in murine mini-colons.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This is a summary of: Lorenzo-Martín, L. F. et al. Patient-derived mini-colons enable long-term modeling of tumor–microenvironment complexity. Nat. Biotechnol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-024-02301-4 (2024).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Next-generation patient models for colorectal cancer research. Nat Biotechnol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-024-02302-3
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-024-02302-3
