In research supported in part by Stand Up To Cancer, scientists in the Netherlands have created a model using living cells that will help researchers study the processes involved in the development of colon cancer. The model will also help discover which drugs will work against cancerous cells.
Developed in the laboratory of Hans Clevers, MD, PhD, professor at the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht, the model utilizes organoids, which are made from cultured human tissues. SU2C and the Dutch Cancer Society launched a Dream Team headed by Clevers along with Johannes Bos, PhD, chairman of the department of molecular cancer research at University Medical Center Utrecht, to support the organoid work in November 2013. The SU2C Dream Team grants are administered by SU2C’s Scientific Partner, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).