MIBE Seminar: Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Self-Organisation in Pancreatic Cancer-Derived Organoids

Topic: Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Self-Organisation in Pancreatic Cancer-Derived Organoids

Speaker: Samuel Randriamanantsoa, Doctoral Candidate (Bausch Group)

Date and Time: Tuesday, 02 May 2023, 1:00 pm

Abstract: Organoids - 3D in vitro cell cultures that recapitulate organ features - possess tremendous potential as platforms to study the development dynamics of both healthy and cancerous tissues.
For pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) -a highly lethal disease of the pancreas-, state-of-the-art spheroid cultures yielded insight on fundamental biological aspects of the tumours, but did not match morphologically the complex structures observed in vivo. Here, from a single primary mouse PDAC cell embedded in a collagen matrix, we generated organoids that self-organise into highly branched structures displaying a seamless lumen connecting terminal end buds, replicating in vivo PDAC architecture. Through live imaging, chemical perturbations, sequencing, and biophysical modelling, we identified distinct morphogenesis phases and their dynamics.