# Biomimetic hydrogel for the construction of patient-derived bladder cancer organoids with aggressive growth

## TL;DR

This study creates bladder cancer organoids using a biomimetic hydrogel that better mimics tumor behavior and drug responses for personalized treatment.

## Contribution

A novel hydrogel using cellulose microfibers to mimic tumor collagen improves bladder cancer organoid growth and drug sensitivity.

## Key findings

- Cellulose microfibers enhance organoid viability, invasiveness, and migration.
- Organoids preserved tumor architecture and mutations, showing drug sensitivities similar to patient tissues.
- The model correlates with patient outcomes, suggesting utility for preclinical therapeutic testing.

## Abstract

In cancer, the extracellular matrix (ECM) reorganization, notably collagen, forming dense, thickened, and orderly structures, affects tumor traits. Bladder cancer organoids (BCOs) mimic tumor properties for personalized medicine. However, current organoid scaffolds lack tumor-such as collagen, crucial for cell growth and migration. Previous efforts to incorporate mesoscale collagen fibers extracted directly from tumors into scaffolds were limited by the size of the tumor tissue and the efficiency of extraction. In this study, we used cellulose microfibers (MCFs) to mimic in vivo mesoscale collagen’s role, enhancing BCO viability, invasiveness, and migration, aligning with tumor growth patterns. These organoids preserved tumor architecture and mutations, showing drug sensitivities similar to those of parental tissue-derived cells and correlating with patient outcomes. This suggests that such organoids can serve as preclinical models to inform therapeutic strategies.

•ECM reorganization, especially collagen, influences cancer traits and tumor behavior•Bladder cancer organoids mimic tumor properties for personalized therapeutic models•Cellulose microfibers enhance organoid viability, invasiveness, and migration•Organoids preserve tumor architecture and mutations, reflecting drug sensitivities

ECM reorganization, especially collagen, influences cancer traits and tumor behavior

Bladder cancer organoids mimic tumor properties for personalized therapeutic models

Cellulose microfibers enhance organoid viability, invasiveness, and migration

Organoids preserve tumor architecture and mutations, reflecting drug sensitivities

Biological sciences; Bioengineering; Biomimetics; Stem cells research; Cancer; Biomaterials