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- Breast Cancer: Biological Avatars to Predict the Effectiveness and Adapt Treatments to Each Patient
Testing the effectiveness of different chemotherapies on tumor organoids derived from biopsies of patients with metastatic breast cancer and rendering the results in the form of "tumorograms" to identify the best therapeutic option: these are the objectives of the AVATAR study currently underway and presented at the ASCO 2026 congress.
Launched in 2024 in collaboration with the Orgapred platform at the University of Caen, this trial—led by Institut Curie —specifically its Preclinical Investigation Laboratory— ranks among the priority projects of the Institute of Women's Cancers. It aims to include 110 patients with metastatic breast cancer.
Establish personalized tumorograms to choose the best therapeutic option
In the ongoing AVATAR clinical trial, doctors and researchers from Institut Curie are working together to develop tumor organoids, based on patient biopsies. These three-dimensional structures grown in the laboratory from tumor cells reproduce certain characteristics of the patient's cancer. These organoids are then exposed to several standard chemotherapies (between 5 and 10) and the responses to the various treatments are ultimately presented in the form of "tumorograms." Like antibiograms that test the effectiveness of a particular antibiotic, these tumograms could identify the most relevant chemotherapy options.
"Institut Curie is currently one of the leading centers in France evaluating this approach—based on tumorograms—in breast cancer. If the results of this AVATAR study prove positive, this strategy applied to complex metastatic situations could make it possible to offer treatments more adapted to each individual patient and to avoid some ineffective treatments," explains Dr. Luc Cabel, medical oncologist at Institut Curie.
"Researchers at Institut Curie possess a cutting-edge expertise in tumor organoids, one that could now translate into a clinical application," emphasizes Dr. Elisabetta Marangoni, researcher in the Translational Research Department and manager of the Preclinical Investigation Laboratory, whose teams developed the tumor organoid models used in the study. "And these biological avatars give rise to very diverse research perspectives, whether it is a question of a better understanding of cancer biology or of a new paradigm for evaluating innovative molecules."
AVATAR: Efficacy of personalized tumor-based therapy in breast cancer established from patient-derived organoids Poster session (Breast cancer metastatic), Dr. Luc Cabel, Dr. Elisabetta Marangoni - June 1, 2026
