Living mini-tumors (organoids) for breast and pancreatic cancer research
Official title: Core B: Organoid Biobank
Funded at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory · NIH-11294230 · Data updated 2026-11-12
They grow tiny 3-D tumor models from patient samples to help researchers develop better treatments for breast and pancreatic cancers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cold Spring Harbor, United States) |
| Project start | February 10, 1997 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $411,429 |
| NIH project number | 5P01CA013106-54 |
| Project ID | NIH-11294230 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with breast or pancreatic tumors, especially basal-subtype cancers, who can donate fresh tumor tissue during surgery or biopsy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without available tumor tissue to donate, those with cancer types not represented in the biobank, or those seeking immediate treatment changes are unlikely to gain direct benefit from participating.
What this research studies
If you donate tumor tissue, they grow tiny 3-D "mini-organ" tumors in the lab that mimic real cancers. Each organoid is genetically and transcriptomically profiled and classified into molecular subtypes. The biobank collects hundreds of these models, with a focus on basal-subtype breast and pancreatic cancers, and shares them with researchers working on related projects. That lets researchers test drugs and study tumor behavior in living human-derived models that often reflect patient tumors better than older cell lines.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This could enable more personalized drug testing and help identify treatments that work better for specific breast and pancreatic tumor subtypes.
How similar studies have gone: Other organoid biobanks have successfully mirrored human tumor biology and aided preclinical drug testing, though direct translation to patient care is still developing.
Where this research is happening
-
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cold Spring Harbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dos Santos, Camila — Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
- Study coordinator: Dos Santos, Camila
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.