The Princess Margaret Living Biobank
Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models and patient-derived organoids (PDO) are important tools in translational oncology research. Implanting patient tumour tissue into mice or a gel matrix, respectively, creates a clinically relevant system to study cancer, test the efficacy of cancer therapies, and develop personalized medicine approaches.
The Princess Margaret Living Biobank (PMLB) has extensive patient-derived tumour models, including but not limited to ovarian, head and neck, lung, breast, pancreas, and colon cancers. These models are available for use by UHN teams and other external academic or private-sector researchers.
As a core facility, PMBL acts as a repository for REB-approved and patient-consented models, which includes associated multi-omics and clinic-pathological data. These models are annotated by molecular and patient-matched clinic-pathological data. PMBL is a resource for annotated patient-derived tumour models and their derivatives (i.e.; formalin-fixed, frozen, and fresh specimens).
This facility offers many services to researchers, including model establishment, drug screening, functional screening, and biomarker discovery. Additionally, PMBL provides training and offers consultation based on extensive expertise on organoid and xenograft studies.