Just Grow With It: Partnering with Patients to Create Tumor Models

Click here to view an incredible image that consists of pseudo-colored cells from a desmoid tumor patient’s sample donated through Pattern.org to the Boehm Lab at MIT. The desmoid tumor cell line image was recently unveiled in the lobby at MIT’s Koch Institute 2023 Image Awards.

The Rare Cancer Research Foundation is thrilled to be a collaborator on research projects such as these that help bring the potential of new treatments to our patient community!

“Patients with rare tumors partner with Boehm Lab researchers to develop new cell models for drug testing and other applications. The team uses high throughput screening and computer-assisted microscopy to find cell culture recipes that promote the growth of donated cells. These pseudo-colored cells are taken from desmoid tumors, a rare form of sarcoma. Evidence of the model's success is seen in the abundance of cells and the swirling growth pattern. The team is now expanding this patient-powered research to other understudied tumors, and sharing the models with researchers across the globe.” Koch Institute Image Awards Archive.

https://rarecancer.org/news-updates/just-grow-with-it