Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Physician researchers can now grow a tiny version of a patient’s tumor in a lab — a living replica carrying the same mutations and quirks as the original cancer. In the future, they hope to be able to use these mini-tumors — called organoids — to test drugs to determine which treatment will work best.
That’s one of many promises of organoids — tiny, three-dimensional clusters of cells that can be grown from a patient’s own tissue. Given the right conditions, the cells self-organize into “mini organs” that capture some of the complexity of how tumors grow, intestines heal, and brains develop.
Read the full story at the link below:
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2026/06/432156/could-these-tiny-organs-save-millions-lives
Research by Jennifer Rosenbluth, MD, PhD; James Bayrer, MD, PhD; Arnold Kriegstein, MD, PhD; Ethan Winkler, MD, PhD; Zev Gartner, PhD; and Wendell Lim, PhD.
For an audio described version of this video click the link below:
youtu.be/3I1vCZ-b1tU
Physician researchers can now grow a tiny version of a patient’s tumor in a lab — a living replica carrying the same mutations and quirks as the original cancer. In the future, they hope to be able to use these mini-tumors — called organoids — to test drugs to determine which treatment will work best.
That’s one of many promises of organoids — tiny, three-dimensional clusters of cells that can be grown from a patient’s own tissue. Given the right conditions, the cells self-organize into “mini organs” that capture some of the complexity of how tumors grow, intestines heal, and brains develop.
Read the full story at the link below:
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2026/06/432156/could-these-tiny-organs-save-millions-lives
Research by Jennifer Rosenbluth, MD, PhD; James Bayrer, MD, PhD; Arnold Kriegstein, MD, PhD; Ethan Winkler, MD, PhD; Zev Gartner, PhD; and Wendell Lim, PhD.
For an audio described version of this video click the link below:
youtu.be/3I1vCZ-b1tU
