2. Academic Validation
  3. Gelatin-Based Soft-Tissue Sarcoma Organoids Recapitulate Patient Tumor Characteristics

Gelatin-Based Soft-Tissue Sarcoma Organoids Recapitulate Patient Tumor Characteristics

  • Biomater Res. 2025 Dec 9:29:0293. doi: 10.34133/bmr.0293.
Kyuyoung Han 1,  Jiwan Choi 2,  Chae-Eun Kim 3,  Seoon Kang 2,  Hye-In An 1,  Chan-Gi Pack 3 4,  Jin-Hee Ahn 1,  Hyunwook Kwon 5,  Chan Wook Kim 6,  Joon Seon Song 7,  Tae Won Kim 1 8,  Eunyoung Tak 2,  Jeong Eun Kim 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Oncology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
  • 2 Department of Convergence Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
  • 3 Department of Medical Science, Asan Medical Institute of Convergence Science and Technology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea.
  • 4 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea.
  • 5 Division of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
  • 6 Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
  • 7 Department of Pathology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
  • 8 Asan Preclinical Evaluation Center for Cancer TherapeutiX, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea.
PMID: 41376821 DOI: 10.34133/bmr.0293
Abstract

Soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) is a rare and heterogeneous group of cancers with more than 100 histological subtypes, which makes biological understanding and therapeutic development particularly challenging. Patient-derived tumor Organoid models have transformed Cancer research by providing patient-representative preclinical platforms, yet their application in STS has been limited because of low establishment efficiency. To address this problem, a gelatin-based culture protocol was developed to enhance critical cellular processes, including mitochondrial function and cell adhesion, which are essential for Organoid self-organization. Using this optimized system, patient-derived tumor organoids were successfully established from representative STS subtypes, such as dedifferentiated liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma. These organoids retained the histopathological architecture and molecular characteristics of the original tumors and reflected subtype-specific oncogenic pathways, mitochondrial dynamics, and lipid metabolic signatures. Our established gelatin-based Organoid culture system enables efficient establishment of patient-derived organoids from representative STS subtypes, faithfully preserving their histopathological and molecular characteristics. These models recapitulate subtype-specific oncogenic pathways, mitochondrial dynamics, and lipid metabolic signatures, providing a robust and clinically relevant preclinical platform for investigating sarcoma biology and developing personalized therapeutic strategies.

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