Development of patient-derived tumor models toward understanding disease biology and drug screening

include bibliographic reference and index

PhD; 2023; Molecular reproduction, development and genetics

Cancer is a complex disease of uncontrolled cell proliferation, which cripples the normal functioning of tissues. According to GLOBOCAN 2020, an estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases and around 10 million cancer deaths have been reported globally, indicative of the increasing cancer burden worldwide. Decades of research have gone into establishing various model systems that can serve as a platform not only for understanding the fundamental molecular basis of cancer but also for translational aspects. Selecting an ideal model system that faithfully reflects the given tumor system is one of the critical challenges faced by researchers. In this regard, model systems derived from patient biopsies serve as a powerful and robust tool for understanding the disease mechanism, preclinical drug testing, and predicting patient response. Moreover, they can be used to study the existing variations in terms of etiology, molecular aspects, and biological responses of cancers in different populations. However, there is a dearth of such tumor models, particularly derived from Indian patients.