Cellentia: Patient-Derived 3D Metastic Organoids for Improved Oncology Drug Discovery
Overview
Cellentia is developing a revolutionary platform for studying metastatic cancers and drug resistance with the development of circulating tumor organoids, allowing for real time non-invasive, patient-specific modeling of solid tumors. We aim to use this platform to elucidate the biological reasoning for the racial disparity in response to breast cancer treatment.
The Issue
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide, yet it remains a biologically complex and heterogeneous disease. It comprises multiple subtypes, each with distinct prognostic and therapeutic profiles. Moreover, tissue samples from different patients often exhibit diverse populations of immune cells, stromal components, and tumor cells, further contributing to its heterogeneity. Such variability influences therapeutic responses across tissues, resulting in markedly different outcomes. Treatment response varies not only across subtypes but also among individuals, posing a major challenge to achieving precision medicine in oncology. A particularly alarming and under-addressed issue is the racial disparity in breast cancer outcomes. African American women face a greater than 50% higher mortality rate compared to White women, despite similar incidence rates. This disparity is uniquely pronounced in breast and prostate cancers suggesting a distinct biological basis that has yet to be fully elucidated.
Approach
Cellentia’s circulating organoid platform is based on tumor cells isolated from patients’ bloodstreams, offering a minimally invasive alternative to traditional tissue biopsies. This approach preserves the complexity and diversity of each patient’s cancer. Unlike conventional cell lines, our organoids retain tumor heterogeneity, enabling more accurate drug screening, pharmacokinetic profiling, and biomarker discovery across multiple cancer types. By directly linking patient biology with preclinical development, Cellentia empowers R&D teams to reduce risk, predict treatment responses earlier, and accelerate breakthroughs in precision oncology, on a patient-specific basis.
MTM Student Engagement
MTM students bring cross-disciplinary expertise to support Cellentia in the commercialization of this platform by performing market needs analysis, business strategy development, user needs assessments, and IP and FTO analysis. Their involvement ensures that this innovative platform can navigate the challenges of business development and market adoption, accelerating the path toward improving care for patients most in need.
Project Brief
