[Annotated] Growing tiny tumors in the lab could help treat cancer

The "tumoroids^[각주:1]" mimic real cancers much more closely than traditional cell cultures^[각주:2]

Almost half a century after^[각주:3] Richard Nixon declared war on cancer^[각주:4], there has been plenty of progress. But there is still no cure. One reason is that "cancer" is an umbrella term that covers^[각주:5] many different diseases. Although the fundamental mechanism is always the same - the uncontrolled^[각주:6] proliferation of^[각주:7] cells - the details vary enormously^[각주:8]. Leukaemia^[각주:9] is not the same as colon cancer^[각주:10]. Even within a particular type of cancer, one patient's disease will differ from another's. Different mutations^[각주:11], for instance, will affect different genes within a tumor. The result is that cancer can be frustratingly^[각주:12] difficult to treat.

Medicine, though, is getting better at accounting for these differences^[각주:13]. In a paper just published in Nature Medicine, a team led by Meritxell Huch, a biologist at the Gurdon Institute, a cancer-research center at the University of Cambridge, describes a technique that could, one day, help doctors design bespoke treatments for^[각주:14] their patients, tailored to the precise characteristics of^[각주:15] the cancers they are suffering from.

Dr Huch and her colleagues work with "organoids^[각주:16]", tiny replicas of^[각주:17] full-sized organs that^[각주:18] can be grown in the lab. The ability to build organ-like structures^[각주:19] outside a living body^[각주:20], from retinas to^[각주:21] kidneys and even brain tissue^[각주:22], holds a great deal of promise for^[각주:23] medical research. But Dr Huch's twist^[각주:24] was to grow not organs, but the tumors that afflict^[각주:25] them.

She and her team took cancerous cells from^[각주:26] eight patients suffering from liver cancer. That is the fifth most frequent cancer in men around the world and the eighth most frequent in women. But its high mortality rate^[각주:27] makes it the second most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide^[각주:28], behind only lung cancer. By immersing the cells in^[각주:29] a specially developed culture medium^[각주:30] designed to promote the survival of cancerous cells but not healthy ones, the researchers were able to persuade^[각주:31] their samples to grow into tiny "tumoroids" about 0.5mm across. 

Cancerous cells can already be cultured in^[각주:32] test tubes^[각주:33], where they are available for poking and prodding by^[각주:34] researchers. But, says Dr Huch, when researchers extract such tissue they often bring healthy cells along with it^[각주:35]. That can complicate^[각주:36] genetic analysis of^[각주:37] the tumors, by mixing healthy DNA with the mutated sort. Because tumoroids contain only cancerous cells, analyzing them should be easier. 

A more significant benefit is that tumoroids replicate^[각주:38] the structure of the tumors from which they are derived in^[각주:39] a way that ordinary cell cultures^[각주:40] do not. Cells in a living organism^[각주:41] are often not symmetrical^[각주:42]. The cells that make the intestines^[각주:43], for instance, need to know which side faces into^[각주:44] the intestine and which side faces the rest of the body. That, in turn^[각주:45], means different genes are expressed in different parts of a cell^[각주:46]. In a conventional cell culture, much of this structure is lost. But Dr Huch's tumoroids preserve it, making them a much more faithful^[각주:47] reproduction of^[각주:48] the cancer from which they are derived. 

Having copies of a tumor in a dish makes it easier to conduct experiments on them^[각주:49]. By comparing the genomes of their tumoroids to those of^[각주:50] healthy tissue, the team discovered unusually high levels of activity among^[각주:51] some genes in the tumor cells. Nineteen of the 30 most over-active^[각주:52] genes were already associated with^[각주:53] a poor prognosis^[각주:54], but 11 were new genes for which such a link^[각주:55] had not been suspected. They also used the tumoroids to test 29 sorts of anti-cancer drugs^[각주:56], some of which are still in development^[각주:57]. For one, an inhibitor of^[각주:58] a type of protein vital for^[각주:59] tumor growth, the researchers have managed to publish^[각주:60] the first evidence suggesting that it might indeed be effective. 

The ability to grow accurate replicas of real tumors should help the hunt for^[각주:61] better cancer drugs more generally. Compared with treatments for other diseases, many cancer drugs fail to make it past^[각주:62] even the early stages of^[각주:63] clinical trials^[각주:64], partly^[각주:65] because of the difficulty of producing accurate models of the disease on which to do preliminary^[각주:66] testing^[각주:67]. Dr Huch hopes her tumoroids might have direct clinical applications^[각주:68], too. The goal, she says, would be to take a patient with liver cancer^[각주:69], grow copies of his tumor in a lab, and then test several different drug candidates at once^[각주:70] to find the most effective. Because tumoroids faithfully replicate^[각주:71] the cancers from which they are derived, a drug that works in the test tube should work in the patient as well^[각주:72]. As any general will tell you, knowing your enemy is half the battle^[각주:73].

1. tumoroid ; An aggregate of cancer cells formed in vitro [본문으로]
2. cell culture ; [명사] (생물학 분야) 세포 배양(細胞培養) [본문으로]
3. half a century ; 반세기 [본문으로]
4. declare war on[upon, against] ; …에 선전포고하다 [본문으로]
5. umbrella term ; 포괄적 용어 [본문으로]
6. uncontrolled ; (참고: controlled) 1. (감정・행동 등이) 억제[제어]되지 않는 [본문으로]
7. proliferation ; [U , sing.] 급증, 확산 [본문으로]
8. vary ; 2. [자동사][V] ~ (with sth) | ~ (from sth to sth) | ~ (between A and B) (상황에 따라) 달라지다[다르다] ;; 미국식 [|veri;|vӕri] 영국식 [|veəri] [본문으로]
9. lukaemia ; [U] (병리) 백혈병 ;; 미국식 [lu:kí:miə] 영국식 [lju:-] ;; 참고 ; lukaemic [본문으로]
10. colon cancer ; [명사] (영양학) 대장암 (大腸癌) [본문으로]
11. mutation ; 1. [U , C] (생물) 돌연변이 (과정) ;; 2. [U , C] (형태・구조상의) 변화[변형] [본문으로]
12. frustratingly ; [부사] 좌절감을 느낄 정도로. [본문으로]
13. account for ; 1. ~을 해명하다[~의 이유가 되다] ;; 2. 설명하다 [본문으로]
14. bespoke ; [주로 명사 앞에 씀], (특히 英 격식) 1. (美 주로 'custom-|made) (제품이) (개인 주문에 따라) 맞춘 ;; 2. 맞춤 생산을 하는 [본문으로]
15. be tailored to ; ~에 맞추다, 맞춰 만들다 [본문으로]
16. organoid ; An organoid is a miniaturized and simplified version of an organ produced in vitro in three dimensions that shows realistic micro-anatomy. They are derived from one or a few cells from a tissue, embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells, which can self-organize in three-dimensional culture owing to their self-renewal and differentiation capacities. The technique for growing organoids has rapidly improved since the early 2010s, and it was named by The Scientist as one of the biggest scientific advancements of 2013. [본문으로]
17. replica ; [명사] (실물을 모방하여 만든) 복제품, 모형(模型) ;; 미국∙영국 [|replɪkə] [본문으로]
18. full-sized ; (또한 ˌfull-'size) 실물대의 ;; [주로 명사 앞에 씀] 일반 치수의, 축소하지 않은 [본문으로]
19. organlike ; (biology) Having characteristics of an organ. [본문으로]
20. living ; [형용사] 1. (현재) 살아 있는 ;; 2. [명사 앞에만 씀] 현재 사용되는[행해지는] [본문으로]
21. retina ; (pl. ret・inas 또는 ret・inae / -niː /) (눈의) 망막 ;; 미국식 [|retənə] 영국식 [|retɪnə] [본문으로]
22. brain tissue ; 뇌 조직 [본문으로]
23. promise ; 2. [U] (성공할) 가능성, 장래성 ;; 3. [U , sing.] ~ of sth (특히 좋은 일이 있을) 징조 [본문으로]
24. twist ; 2. UNEXPECTED CHANGE | [C] (이야기・상황의 예상 밖의) 전환[전개] [본문으로]
25. afflict ; [타동사][VN] [흔히 수동태로] (격식) 괴롭히다, 피해를 입히다 [본문으로]
26. cancerous ; [형용사] 암의; 암에 걸린; 불치의; 독성의 [본문으로]
27. a high mortality rate ; 높은 사망률 [본문으로]
28. worldwide ; [부사] 전 세계에 [본문으로]
29. immerse ; 1. ~ sb/sth (in sth) (액체 속에) 담그다 [본문으로]
30. culture medium ; (생물) 배지(培地), 배양기(基), 배양토 [본문으로]
31. persuade ; 3. 촉구하다, 재촉하다(urge). [본문으로]
32. culture ; [타동사][VN] (생물 의학) (미생물・조직 등을) 배양하다 [본문으로]
33. test tube ; [명사] 시험관 [본문으로]
34. prod ; (-dd-) 1. ~ (at) sb/sth (손가락이나 뾰족한 것으로) 쿡 찌르다 ;; 2. [타동사][VN] ~ sb (into sth/into doing sth) 재촉[촉구]하다 [본문으로]
35. along with ; in addition to something [본문으로]
36. complicate ; [타동사][VN] (더) 복잡하게 만들다 [본문으로]
37. genetic analysis ; [명사] (생명과학) 유전분석(遺傳分析) [본문으로]
38. replicate ; 1. [타동사][VN] (격식) (정확히) 모사[복제]하다 ;; 2. ~ (itself) (전문 용어) (바이러스・분자가) 자기 복제를 하다 [본문으로]
39. derive ; 1. [+目+from+名] (다른 물체·근원에서) 이끌어 내다, 얻다(get) [본문으로]
40. cell culture ; [명사] (생물학 분야) 세포 배양(細胞培養) [본문으로]
41. living organism ; 생물, 생명체 [본문으로]
42. symmetrical ; [형용사] (또한 sym・met・ric / sɪ|metrɪk /) 인체・디자인・사물 등이 대칭적인 ;; 미국·영국 [sɪ|metrɪkl] [본문으로]
43. intestine ; [명사] (주로 복수로) 장, 창자 ;; 미국·영국 [ɪn|testɪn] [본문으로]
44. face ; 1. BE OPPOSITE | …을 마주보다[향하다] ;; 6. COVER SURFACE | [타동사][VN] [주로 수동태로] (다른 재료로 표면에) 붙이다[씌우다] [본문으로]
45. in turn ; 2. 결국[결과적으로] ;; 즉 [본문으로]
46. express ; 7. [보통 수동형으로] (유전자의 활동에 의해) <형질(形質)을> 표현[발현]시키다 [본문으로]
47. faithful ; 4. ~ (to sth) (사실・원본 등에) 충실한 ;; 5. [명사 앞에만 씀] 믿을[신뢰할] 수 있는 [본문으로]
48. reproduction ; 2. [U] 복사, 복제 [본문으로]
49. conduct an experiment (on) ; (…에 대해) 실험을 실시하다 [본문으로]
50. compare ; 1. [타동사][VN] (약어:cf., cp.) ~ A and B | ~ A with/to B (A와 B를) 비교하다 [본문으로]
51. unusually high levels of ; 대단히 높은 정도의, 수준의 [본문으로]
52. overactive ; [형용사] 활약[활동]이 지나친 [본문으로]
53. be associated with ; ~와 관련되다, 연관되다 [본문으로]
54. prognosis ; (pl. prog・no・ses / -siːz /) 1. (의학) 예후(豫後) ;; 2. (격식) 예상, 예측 ;; 미국식 [prɑ:g|noʊsɪs] 영국식 [prɒg|nəʊsɪs] [본문으로]
55. link ; 1. ~ (between A and B) (사람・사물 사이의) 관련(성)[관계] ;; 참고 ; missing link [본문으로]
56. anti-cancer drug ; [명사] (생명과학) 항암제(抗癌劑) [본문으로]
57. be in development ; 개발 중이다, 발달, 발전 단계에 있다 [본문으로]
58. inhibitor ; 1. (화학) (화학 반응의) 억제제[저해제] ;; 2. (생물) 억제 유전자 [본문으로]
59. vital for ; …에 필요불가결한, 필수적인 [본문으로]
60. publish ; 5. [타동사][VN] (격식) (공식적인 내용을) 공표[발표]하다 [본문으로]
61. hunt for sb/sth ; 1.to look for something that is difficult to find [본문으로]
62. make it past sth ; to overcome, to go through, to pass, to get to the other side of [본문으로]
63. early stage ; 초기 단계, 초반 [본문으로]
64. clinical trial ; (의학) 임상 시험 [본문으로]
65. partly ; [부사] 부분적으로, 어느 정도 [본문으로]
66. preliminary ; [형용사] ~ (to sth) (더 중요한 행동・행사에 대한) 예비의 [본문으로]
67. testing ; [U] 테스트[실험/시험/검사](하기) [본문으로]
68. direct clinical application ; 직접적 임상 응용 [본문으로]
69. a patient with ; ~의 질병, 증상이 있는 환자 [본문으로]
70. at once ; 1. 즉시[당장/지체 없이] ;; 2. 동시에[한꺼번에] [본문으로]
71. faithfully ; 1. (내용이 틀리지 않게) 충실히, 정확히 [본문으로]
72. work ;; 8. HAVE RESULT/EFFECT | [자동사][V] ~ (on sb/sth) (원하는) 효과가 나다[있다] ;; 일반적으로 많이 쓰는, "효과가 있다" 라는 의미의 work on 이 아니라 굳이 work in 을 쓴건 앞에 work in the test tube 와 병치하기 위한 글쓴이의 의도로 보임 [본문으로]
73. half the battle ; (일의 가장 중요하거나 힘든 단계인) 고비 [본문으로]