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UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Science

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Tumouroids

We have developed Tumouroids, three-dimensional cell cultures which resemble tumour tissues. These are used to investigate the efficacy of anti-cancer agents and for personalised medicine.

We recently optimised tumouroid manufacture using cells from patients with renal cancers. We used them to test whether they respond to clinical drugs.

We recently optimised tumouroid manufacture using cells from patients with renal cancers. We used them to test whether they respond to clinical drugs.

Our work

In England, over 300,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year. While diagnostics and treatments have developed greatly over the past decade, new treatments remain expensive. There is a need for tools that enable better disease characterisation and stratification.

Tumouroids are created using collagen as the basic matrix protein. They combine compartments that mimic both the cancer mass and the surrounding microenvironment of solid tumours that contains fibroblasts and endothelial cells.

Using plastic compression to expel excess fluid makes tumouroids one of the few cancer models to have measurable and tuneable tissue stiffness - a key characteristic of solid cancers.聽

Our aim is to develop this as a platform for personalised medicine - to predict the response to drugs of each patient with cancer.

Our experts

The team works across the Division of Surgery & Interventional Science聽and with national and international collaborators.

Prof. Marilena Loizidou

聽(Group Head)

Prof. Umber Cheema

聽(Group Head)

Prof. Sandy Macrobert

Prof. Nikolitsa Nomikou

Dr Elnaz Yaghini

Maxine Tran

Dr Katerina Stamati

Dr Kate Ricketts

Professor Mark Emberton

Dr Pierre G茅lat

Roundel icon of a silhouette in grey

Roundel icon of a silhouette in grey

Divisonal Research Team

  • Tayebeh Azimi
  • Deniz Bakkalci
  • Kalliopi (Kelly) Bokea
  • Ebrahim Abdal
  • Salma Galal
  • Auxtine Micalet
  • Sami Znati
  • Andrea Balukova
  • Anuja Upadhyay
  • Tan Xu
  • Bow Chaipanichkul
  • Daniel De Silva

Funding / Partnerships

UK Research Councils (EPSRC), NIHR, Industry, and Charities, including:

  • The Royal Free Charity
  • St Peter's Trust
  • Biss-Davis Charitable Foundation
  • SCAT Bone Cancer Fund.

Select publications

厂迟补尘补迟颈听碍., 罢谤补苍听惭.骋.叠., Emberton M., Loizidou M., Cheema U., et al. (2022).聽. J. Cell Commun. Signal.

础锄颈尘颈听罢., 尝辞颈锄颈诲辞耻听惭., Dwek聽M.V. (2020). . Sci Rep. 2020 Jul 21;10(1):12020.

Pape J., Stamati K., Loizidou M., Emberton M., Cheema U., et al. (2020). . Br J Cancer 2020 Jul 9.

Stamati K., Tran, M.G.B., Emberton, M., Cheema, U., Loizidou, M., et al. (2020). . J Tissue Eng. May 18. eCollection 2020.

Mohammad-Hadi, L., Yaghini, E., MacRobert, A., and Loizidou, M. (2020). .聽Int J Mol BioSci, 2020 聽Apr 30;21(9):3203.

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