Transcriptomic landscape of NECC organoids under different culture conditions

Organoids are typically developed from stem cells or progenitor cells encapsulated in extracellular matrix (ECM), which is crucial for the establishment of tissue-like architectures, cell-cell communications, and cell-ECM interactions. However, previous attempts to employ organoids for high-throughput screening have frequently utilized matrix-free or matrix-low suspension culture conditions. To investigate whether alterations in culture conditions affect organoids, we performed transcriptome sequencing on organoids encapsulated in ECM and those suspended in medium containing 2% (v/v) ECM. We found that even short-term suspension of organoids can lead to changes in their transcriptomic profiles, including the expression of tumor markers and key signaling pathways, which may affect drug sensitivity among tumor cells.