# Building microenvironment-containing organoids from patient samples with single-cell precision

> **NIH NIH R21** · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2020 · $172,991

## Abstract

Summary
Organoid models have recently emerged as an alternative, more realistic in vitro representation of
patient tumors when compared to traditional 2D culture approaches. At a functional level, organoids
have proven useful as realistic tumor model to be used for ex vivo drug testing. Although organoid
models can often accurately recapitulate the spatial organization of the tumor, they are typically
derived from a single cell type (e.g., tumor cells or pluripotent stem cells) and existing tools for
making organoids with well-defined compositions are limited. To address this, we propose to develop
an instrument for building organoid co-cultures consisting of the major tumor, stromal, and immune
cell types previously shown to play a role in drug resistance in multiple myeloma, by fluorescently
labeling cells and dispensing them from patient samples into culture wells in a single step. By
monitoring the growth and viability of these organoids and subjecting them to drug testing, we will
determine the minimal functional unit that is sufficient to recapitulate the major tumor-stroma
interactions of the multiple myeloma bone marrow niche. If successful, we envision that more realistic
patient-derived organoid models could lead to improved functional assays to test the susceptibility of
patient samples to cancer therapeutics, with the potential goal of using these assays to guide
treatment decisions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9959372
- **Project number:** 5R21CA236685-02
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** SCOTT R MANALIS
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $172,991
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9959372

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9959372, Building microenvironment-containing organoids from patient samples with single-cell precision (5R21CA236685-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9959372. Licensed CC0.

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