Integrating patient-derived tumor models into translational oncology and drug discovery

Patient-derived tumor models provide powerful tools to investigate cancer biology and therapeutic responses in clinically relevant contexts. The Center for Patient-Derived Models (CPDM) at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a collaborative research hub specializing in the generation, characterization, and application of patient-derived xenografts (PDX), patient-derived cell lines (PDCLs), and organoid/spheroid cultures to accelerate translational oncology. CPDM partners with both academic and industry researchers to enable data-driven drug discovery, preclinical validation, and functional precision medicine. The center maintains an extensive repository of patient-derived models spanning brain tumors, hematologic malignancies, and a broad range of solid tumors, each annotated with corresponding clinical and genomic data. These models are available to collaborators worldwide to advance translational and precision oncology research. To support precision oncology and preclinical research, CPDM has established automated imaging pipelines and standardized quantitative assays for real-time monitoring of growth and drug response in both 2D and 3D culture systems. In addition, the center's Functional Precision Medicine (FPM) platform integrates live-cell imaging and patient-specific drug screening to inform therapeutic selection and improve translational predictive accuracy. Together, these efforts position CPDM as a translational bridge between preclinical modeling and clinical application, facilitating data-driven collaborations that advance personalized cancer treatment.