Yes, YourPDX can be used to test drug sensitivity for patients with recurrent or refractory tumors. Functional assays using patient-derived xenograft orthotopic models can bring new hope to patients with cancers that develop resistance to first-line treatment and do not respond or respond poorly to second-line treatment—and in some cases, even predict these events before they occur in patients.1
After the YourPDX Functional Precision Oncology testing is complete, the treating oncologist and cancer patient may elect to have Certis perform an extended recurrence test. Certis monitors personalized mouse avatars for an additional four weeks. No medication is administered during this time. By monitoring and measuring tumors post-study in personalized orthotopic patient-derived xenograft (O-PDX) mouse models, we can often observe whether some therapeutic options lead to lasting tumor response and are sometimes able to investigate drug resistance. In an extended drug resistance test, Certis scientists continue dosing a cancer patient’s mouse avatars. If the tumors in the individual’s mouse avatars stop responding to first-line treatment, observational results can help inform second-line treatment strategies.
References: 1 Walters DM, Stokes JB, Adair SJ, et al. Clinical, Molecular and Genetic Validation of a Murine Orthotopic Xenograft Model of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Using Fresh Human Specimens. PLoS One. 2013;8(10): e77065.