The mammary gland (MG) is a dynamic organ whose structure and function change throughout the female reproductive cycle. These changes are strictly regulated because any aberrations can lead to organ dysfunction or disease, including breast cancer. Under the systemic control of reproductive hormones, the development of MG is determined by location-specific interactions in the mammary microenvironment. Therefore, to decipher new mechanisms regulating MG development and cancer, an unbiased approach that includes spatial information is needed.

Three-dimensional (3D) mammary organoid culture has become an important tool in mammary gland biology and enabled invaluable discoveries on pubertal mammary branching morphogenesis and breast cancer. Organoids provide an in vitro model that retains some of the cellular, structural, and microenvironmental characteristics that dictate mammary gland function in vivo and have greatly advanced our understanding of glandular biology. Their tractability in live imaging, high throughput screening, and genetic manipulation facilitates investigation into the mechanisms of glandular morphogenesis, structural maintenance, tumor progression and invasion. But there are still opportunities to enhance the cellular and structural complexity of mammary organoid models, including incorporating additional cell types and hormone signaling.

OrganoLab has developed a 3D model of the mammary gland, combining epithelial and stromal-derived cells in a defined engineered environment that can be used for the study of normal mammary gland development. These primary cell-derived organoid cultures can maintain some of the cellular heterogeneity observed in the tissue of origin, including the presence of stem/progenitor and differentiated cell types. In addition, when grown in the presence of specialized growth factor cocktails, long-term culture can be achieved. This feature is being leveraged to create organoid "biobanks" for disease modeling and drug screening.

References

  1. Stewart T. A. et al.; A Primary Cell and Organoid Platform for Evaluating Pharmacological Responses in Mammary Epithelial Cells. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci. 2020, 3(1): 63-75.
  2. Campbell J. J. et al.; A 3-D in vitro co-culture model of mammary gland involution. Integr Biol (Camb). 2014, 6(6): 618-626.
  3. Srivastava V. et al.; Organoid models for mammary gland dynamics and breast cancer. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2020, 66: 51-58.
  4. Parmar H. et al.; Epithelial-stromal interactions in the mouse and human mammary gland in vivo. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2004, 11(3): 437-458.
  5. Sumbal J. et al.; Primary Mammary Organoid Model of Lactation and Involution. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2020, 8: 68.
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OrganoLab, now a new branch, is keen to develop organoid models for disease research. Our experienced scientists are working hard to release the full potential of organoids. Many different types of organoid models, such as normal organoid models, tumor organoid models, and organs-on-a-chip, can be used for drug screening or toxicology study. Our expertise in establishing flexible and advanced organoid models will meet the needs of every customer.