Description

Interdisciplinary Medical and Health Seminar - Molecular oncology and immunology

Lecture ‘Ex Vivo Tumor Fragments as Functional Precision Medicine Tools to Predict Immunotherapy Response’

Guest speaker dr. Daniela Thommen (Division of Molecular Oncology and Immunology - Netherlands Cancer Institute)

Host prof. dr. Olivier De Wever

Ex vivo tumor fragments provide a powerful functional precision medicine platform to evaluate responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in cancers such as melanoma. Unlike cell lines or dissociated cultures, these fragments preserve the native tumor microenvironment, including immune and stromal components, maintaining critical cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions. By exposing freshly resected tumor tissue to ICIs ex vivo, researchers can directly assess immune activation, T cell infiltration, and tumor killing in a physiologically relevant context. This enables real-time prediction of efficacy, identification of resistant phenotypes, and discovery of predictive biomarkers. Ultimately, ex vivo tumor fragment assays bridge the gap between genomic profiling and clinical outcome, providing a personalized functional readout to guide treatment selection and improve patient stratification in melanoma and other immunogenic cancers.