Patient-derived organoids as a novel tool to study cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is the most prevalent gynecological malignancy worldwide, often caused by infection with a high-risk human papillomavirus. Currently, there are only limited number of human-derived culture systems available that enable to study the viral infection for short-term. Here, we report on establishment of long-term human-derived organoid cultures from both healthy ecto- and endocervical epithelia that closely recapitulate the tissues of origin by maintaining the authentic histological and tissue-specific gene expression profiles. Additionally, using material from patients’ Pap-brush material, a successful panel of long-term patient-derived cancer organoids was established that maintain the causative viral infection in vitro and show differential response to common chemotherapy regimens. This study provides a promising platform for cervical cancer research and studying direct virus-host interactions.EGA study EGAS00001004439