Tumor Organoids grown in mixed-composition Hydrogels recapitulate the plasticity of pancreatic cancer (1 of 2)

This dataset contains all raw and processed data used in the following publication: "Tumor organoids grown in mixed-composition hydrogels recapitualte the plasticity of pancreatic cancers. Sorzabal-Bellido I., Morales X., Cortés-Domínguez I., Esparza M., Grande L., Castillo P., Larumbe S., Monteserín M., Narayanan S., Ponz-Sarvise M., Vicent S., Ortiz-de-Solórzano C. Gels 11(7), 516 (2025) Abstract of the publication: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumors exhibit pronounced phenotypic plasticity, alternating between a treatment-sensitive classical phenotype and a more aggressive basal-like state associated with drug resistance and poor prognosis. The frequent coexistence of these phenotypes complicates patient stratification and the selection of effective therapies. Tumor-derived organoids are valuable tools for drug screening; however, their clinical relevance relies on how accurately they recapitulate the phenotypic and functional characteristics of the original tumors. In this study, we present a quantitative analysis of how hydrogel composition influences the phenotype, tissue remodeling, metabolism, and drug resistance of PDAC organoids. Organoids were cultured within three types of hydrogels: Matrigel, collagen-I, and a mixture of collagen-I and Matrigel. Our results demonstrate that: (i) PDAC organoids grown in Matrigel exhibit a classical phenotype, with metabolic and drug response profiles similar to those of low-physiological two-dimensional cultures; (ii) Organoids grown in collagen-containing hydrogels, particularly those in collagen-Matrigel composites, faithfully recapitulate basal-like tumors, characterized by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, tissue remodeling, metabolic activity, and drug resistance; (iii) TGFβ induces an exacerbated, highly invasive basal-like phenotype. Summarizing, our findings highlight the importance of 3D hydrogel composition in modulating PDAC organoid phenotype and behavior and suggest collagen-Matrigel hydrogels as the most suitable matrix for modeling PDAC biology. Note: This is part 1 of the repository