Tissue donation drives cancer research
By contributing your tumor tissue or fluid through a procedure, you make it possible for researchers to learn more about your disease. Researchers who collaborate with Pattern.org use donated tissue and fluids for several purposes, including but not limited to:
- Making a working copy of your cancer type that will continually grow in a laboratory. This copy is called a "model" and makes it easiest for researchers to study your cancer type and test new treatment ideas.
- Single-cell sequencing, which allows researchers to look closely at differences in gene expression between cells and to understand why certain cells function the way that they do, paving the way for better treatments.
Developing and interrogating models of rare diseases - The Hong Lab
Example Uses
Study Description
The Hong Lab at Emory focuses on pediatric high risk solid tumors including kidney cancers such as renal medullary carcinomas (RMC) and Wilms tumors. The objectives are to develop and genomically characterize rare cancer models and use these model systems to better understand each disease. By sharing tissue from your surgery, you could help accelerate this research.
The Hong Lab is developing cell lines, organoids and xenografts which are used as model systems to study diseases. This is particularly important for childhood kidney cancers, where scientists are limited in the ability to do research because there are not enough models of the different cancer types to understand each disease. The ability to create faithful models of disease is critical to the ability to characterize mechanisms of these cancers and identify new therapeutic targets.
All models and data that are generated will remain de-identified and will be shared and distributed to promote broader scientific discovery. Each model generated for these cancers -- like yours -- is a potentially transformative tool that can help scientists better understand cancer.
Cell line
A cell line is an immortalized population of cells that can be continuously grown and replicated in the laboratory, usually derived from a single tissue or tumor. These cells retain many of the genetic and functional features of their tissue of origin, making them powerful, living models for studying disease. For rare cancers—which often have limited patient tissue available—cell lines provide a nearly inexhaustible, standardized resource that lets scientists test potential drugs, probe molecular drivers, and validate therapeutic targets without needing repeated access to scarce patient biopsies.
Sequencing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In genetics and biochemistry, sequencing means to determine the primary structure (sometimes incorrectly called the primary sequence) of an unbranched biopolymer. Sequencing results in a symbolic linear depiction known as a sequence which succinctly summarizes much of the atomic-level structure of the sequenced molecule.
Boehm Lab at the Koch Institute
Example Uses
Study Description
The Boehm Lab develops cell lines from patient tumors in order to accelerate research. By sharing tissue from your cancer surgery, you could be a driving force in cancer research.
In the lab we are overcoming major obstacles to research by developing cell lines, which are used as model systems to study diseases. This is particularly important for rare cancer research, where are significantly limited in the ability to do research because there are not enough models of each type of rare cancer to understand each disease.
Our project, primarily focused on subtypes of sarcomas, will generate cancer cell lines that will enable a variety of studies focused on the causes of cancer, and how to treat cancer. Each cell line built for rare cancers - like yours - is a potentially transformative tool that can be shared by many scientists all over the world to better understand cancer.
Cell line
A cell line is an immortalized population of cells that can be continuously grown and replicated in the laboratory, usually derived from a single tissue or tumor. These cells retain many of the genetic and functional features of their tissue of origin, making them powerful, living models for studying disease. For rare cancers—which often have limited patient tissue available—cell lines provide a nearly inexhaustible, standardized resource that lets scientists test potential drugs, probe molecular drivers, and validate therapeutic targets without needing repeated access to scarce patient biopsies.
Drug Discovery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the fields of medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which new candidate medications are discovered.[1]
Historically, drugs were discovered by identifying the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by serendipitous discovery, as with penicillin. More recently, chemical libraries of synthetic small molecules, natural products or extracts were screened in intact cells or whole organisms to identify substances that had a desirable therapeutic effect in a process known as classical pharmacology. After sequencing of the human genome allowed rapid cloning and synthesis of large quantities of purified proteins, it has become common practice to use high throughput screening of large compounds libraries against isolated biological targets which are hypothesized to be disease-modifying in a process known as reverse pharmacology. Hits from these screens are then tested in cells and then in animals for efficacy.[2]
Sequencing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In genetics and biochemistry, sequencing means to determine the primary structure (sometimes incorrectly called the primary sequence) of an unbranched biopolymer. Sequencing results in a symbolic linear depiction known as a sequence which succinctly summarizes much of the atomic-level structure of the sequenced molecule.
Some of RCRF's Current Partners
