Ex Vivo Expertise – Things to Consider when using Ex Vivo Systems for Hematologic Malignancies

Advances in precision medicine have transformed treatments for many types of solid tumors, but similar treatment options have been more limited for hematologic oncology. Now, new ex vivo models are being developed that use patient-derived lymphoma or leukemia cells for screening experimental drugs or biologics.

The lower cost associated with ex vivo studies compared to in vivo ones makes these platforms ideal for large scale screening of therapeutic agents before progressing to in vivo studies with the most promising drug candidates. In addition, lymphoma and leukemia primary cell cultures closely recapitulate the tumor of origin and can provide valuable information about the variability of drug response in a cohort of patients.

In expert hands, these platforms are well-suited to preclinical drug screening and can inform preclinical research decisions as well as clinical care. Some unique aspects of ex vivo hematologic oncology models need to be considered as you advance your research.

1. Viability, Survival, and Proliferation: Patient-derived hematologic malignancies may adapt to ex vivo culture conditions very differently; some cells may die off significantly whereas others proliferate at high rates. It is critical to measure and understand the proliferation and viability parameters of your cultured cells to assure you are working with a reliable specimen.
   
2. Consider Specific Cell Characteristics: Prolonged ex vivo culturing of leukemia or lymphoma cells may introduce unwanted changes to cells that can alter their responses to drugs or antibodies. Be sure to thoroughly characterize the phenotype of a specific cell specimen before and during ex vivo culture to assure that prolonged culture does not significantly alter the cell phenotype or cause unintended mutations. Short term cultures reduce the risk of such changes happening.
   
   
3. The Power of the Panel: A major advantage of using ex vivo cultures is the ability to scale up cultures and screen large panels of experimental antibodies or drugs. This can also be done with multiple patient cultures being screened in parallel.
   
   

Hematologic oncology models have advanced significantly as ex vivo systems have emerged. Contract research organizations that work in this area have the right expertise and are well poised to help you advance your preclinical therapeutic screening or help you narrow down your drug candidates for potential clinical investigation.