This research details the creation of a massive pancreatic cancer organoid biobank used to investigate therapeutic resistance and personalized medicine. By performing comprehensive multi-omics profiling on 260 organoid lines, scientists identified novel genetic drivers in both coding and noncoding DNA regions that influence tumor growth. A key discovery revealed that chemoresistant tumors are characterized by elevated levels of protein glycosylation and cholesterol metabolism. The study demonstrates that statins can effectively reverse this resistance by blocking these metabolic pathways and inhibiting the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. These laboratory findings were further validated in a phase 2 clinical trial, where adding a statin to standard chemotherapy significantly reduced tumor markers in over 70% of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. This integrated approach offers a promising framework for identifying new biomarkers and improving treatment outcomes for one of the most lethal forms of cancer.

References:

• Li Y, Tang S, Wang H, et al. A pancreatic cancer organoid biobank links multi-omics signatures to therapeutic response and clinical evaluation of statin combination therapy[J]. Cell Stem Cell, 2025, 32(9): 1369-1389. e14.