Personalized cancer drug testing on patient tumor cells
Official title: Ex vivo drug testing with patient derived tumor cells for translational research.
Funded at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center · NIH-11621814 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aiming to test many FDA-approved cancer drugs on a patient’s own tumor cells to identify effective options when standard therapies fail.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 18, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $220,000 |
| NIH project number | 1R56CA309037-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11621814 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with cancer whose current treatments have failed or who lack actionable biomarkers and who can provide a tumor sample for testing.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without available tumor tissue suitable for culture or those unlikely to respond to drugs tested may see limited or no benefit.
What this research studies
This project uses patient-derived tumor cells grown as organoids or sliced tumor tissues to run drug-sensitivity tests. The team has a CLIA-approved PARIS assay that screens up to 120 drugs or combinations to rank which ones kill tumor cells best, in a clinically relevant timeframe. They also culture tumor slices to study how the tumor environment, including immune components, influences drug response. The goal is to guide personalized treatment decisions by linking molecular features to functional drug responses.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive more targeted, effective therapy choices based on testing their own tumor’s drug sensitivity.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work with patient-derived tumor models has shown that functional drug screening can identify effective therapies for some patients.
Where this research is happening
-
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kemp, Christopher J — Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
- Study coordinator: Kemp, Christopher J
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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.