NAMs in Oncology
How tumor organoids, patient-derived models, and human-relevant methods are transforming cancer drug development—because 95% of cancer drugs fail in clinical trials
Human-Relevant Cancer Models
NAMs that better predict human tumor responses
Patient-Derived Tumor Organoids
3D cultures grown directly from patient tumor biopsies that retain the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the original cancer.
- ✓ Maintains tumor heterogeneity
- ✓ Preserves patient mutations
- ✓ Enables drug screening in weeks
- ✓ Biobank for future testing
Tumor-on-Chip
Microfluidic devices that recreate the tumor microenvironment including vasculature, immune cells, and stromal components.
- ✓ Models tumor-immune interactions
- ✓ Tests drug penetration
- ✓ Real-time monitoring
- ✓ Hypoxic gradients like real tumors
CAR-T Testing Platforms
Human immune cell systems for testing CAR-T and other cellular immunotherapies before patient infusion.
- ✓ Cytokine release prediction
- ✓ Target cell killing assays
- ✓ Off-target toxicity screening
- ✓ Patient-specific manufacturing QC
3D Spheroid Models
Multicellular tumor spheroids that mimic solid tumor architecture with necrotic cores and proliferating outer layers.
- ✓ High-throughput screening
- ✓ Drug penetration studies
- ✓ Resistance mechanism research
- ✓ Cost-effective scalability
Why NAMs for Cancer Research
Advantages over traditional mouse xenograft models
Human Tumor Biology
Test drugs on actual human cancer cells with human mutations, not mouse cells in artificial conditions.
Tumor Microenvironment
Model interactions between cancer cells, immune cells, and stroma that determine treatment response.
Immunotherapy Testing
Human immune cells required—mouse immune systems don't predict checkpoint inhibitor responses.
Patient Stratification
Test which patients will respond to which drugs using their own tumor-derived organoids.
Speed & Scale
Screen drugs in weeks instead of months, testing thousands of compounds simultaneously.
Resistance Mechanisms
Study how tumors develop drug resistance using human cells that evolve like human cancers.