Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the UK, and as such requires our best efforts to develop the most effective treatments. At the recent Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, Dr Fiona Behan and Dr Hayley Francies presented research from the Sanger Institute describing efforts to identify new cancer drug targets. Organoid technology allows us to grow cancer cells in 3D, capturing many features of cancer. This ability of organoids to mimic cancer has led us to use them extensively to model drug responses. We combine these 3D models with CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing technology to identify genes essential for the survival of cancer cells. By switching off each gene in the cancer cell and identifying those required for survival, we identify new candidate drug targets that could be brought to the clinic. Through combining these advanced technologies, we hope to contribute to the effort to ensure that every cancer patient receives a successful therapy.
