Ceobanu AN, Braniște AF, Morărașu Ş, Dimofte GM. From bench to bedside: Advancements in patient-derived xenografts for predicting therapy outcomes in colorectal cancer. World J Gastroenterol 2025; 31(35): 110370 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i35.110370]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Alexandru Florin Braniște, MD, Department of Endocrinology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T Popa”, Emergency Clinical County Hospital “Saint Spiridon”, 16 University Street, Iasi 700115, Romania. alexandru-florin.braniste@d.umfiasi.ro
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 21, 2025; 31(35): 110370 Published online Sep 21, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i35.110370
From bench to bedside: Advancements in patient-derived xenografts for predicting therapy outcomes in colorectal cancer
Andrei Nicolae Ceobanu, Alexandru Florin Braniște, Ştefan Morărașu, Gabriel Mihail Dimofte
Andrei Nicolae Ceobanu, Department of Oncology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T Popa”, Regional Institute of Oncology, Iasi 700115, Romania
Alexandru Florin Braniște, Department of Endocrinology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T Popa”, Emergency Clinical County Hospital “Saint Spiridon”, Iasi 700115, Romania
Ştefan Morărașu, Gabriel Mihail Dimofte, Department of Surgery, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T Popa”, Regional Institute of Oncology, Iasi 700115, Romania
Author contributions: Dimofte GM conceptualized the review and outlined the structure; Ceobanu AN and Braniște AF conducted the literature search and wrote the manuscript; Dimofte GM and Morărașu Ş provided supervision and final editing; and all authors discussed the content, reviewed the manuscript, and approved the final version.
Supported by the European Union, the Romanian Government and the Health Program (Medical Applications of High-Power Lasers - Dr. LASER), cod MySMIS2021/SMIS2021+ 326475.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Alexandru Florin Braniște, MD, Department of Endocrinology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T Popa”, Emergency Clinical County Hospital “Saint Spiridon”, 16 University Street, Iasi 700115, Romania. alexandru-florin.braniste@d.umfiasi.ro
Received: June 6, 2025 Revised: June 24, 2025 Accepted: August 20, 2025 Published online: September 21, 2025 Processing time: 105 Days and 20.1 Hours
Abstract
Colorectal cancer is the third most diagnosed malignancy and the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Management includes a combination of surgery, radiotherapy, and systemic therapy that is tailored to the stage of the disease. However, each tumor has a unique genetic profile that influences the treatment response and the overall prognosis. Biomarkers guide treatment decisions, but many chemotherapeutics lack reliable predictors. To bridge this gap patient-derived xenograft models were developed and are valuable preclinical tools. These systems utilize patient-derived tumor tissue grafted into an animal host that provides a platform for personalized drug profiling. This article surveyed recent advances in mouse and zebrafish colorectal cancer patient-derived xenografts, emphasizing their clinical utility for functional precision oncology. We explored the impact of these models on translational research, discussed current limitations, and outlined key priorities for future development.
Core Tip: This minireview discussed the use of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models in mice and zebrafish and their impact on predicting treatment outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer. Each model has its own unique advantages and disadvantages that are useful in certain situations. Mouse PDX models are better suited for longer-term and in-depth studies, and zebrafish PDX models are better for chemoprofiling and short-term treatment guidance. We also discussed the applicability of these models for personalized medicine and the synergy with current biomarkers to better select treatment.
