On 8 December 2022 the organizing committee of the European Network for Breast Development and Cancer labs (ENBDC) held its fifth annual Think Tank meeting in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Here, we embraced the opportunity to look back to identify the most prominent breakthroughs of the past ten years and to reflect on the main challenges that lie ahead for our field in the years to come. The outcomes of these discussions are presented in this position paper, in the hope that it will serve as a summary of the current state of affairs in mammary gland biology and breast cancer research for early career researchers and other newcomers in the field, and as inspiration for scientists and clinicians to move the field forward.

• Klíčová slova
• Breast cancer heterogeneity, Lineage tracing, Model systems, Prevention and early detection, Single cell analyses, Treatment and recurrence,
• MeSH
• biologie MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mléčné žlázy lidské * MeSH
• nádory prsu * MeSH
• prsy MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

3D cell culture methods have been an integral part of and an essential tool for mammary gland and breast cancer research for half a century. In fact, mammary gland researchers, who discovered and deciphered the instructive role of extracellular matrix (ECM) in mammary epithelial cell functional differentiation and morphogenesis, were the pioneers of the 3D cell culture techniques, including organoid cultures. The last decade has brought a tremendous increase in the 3D cell culture techniques, including modifications and innovations of the existing techniques, novel biomaterials and matrices, new technological approaches, and increase in 3D culture complexity, accompanied by several redefinitions of the terms "3D cell culture" and "organoid". In this review, we provide an overview of the 3D cell culture and organoid techniques used in mammary gland biology and breast cancer research. We discuss their advantages, shortcomings and current challenges, highlight the recent progress in reconstructing the complex mammary gland microenvironment in vitro and ex vivo, and identify the missing 3D cell cultures, urgently needed to aid our understanding of mammary gland development, function, physiology, and disease, including breast cancer.

• Klíčová slova
• 3D cell culture, Breast, Co-culture, Extracellular matrix, Imaging, Microenvironment, Organoid, Screening, Stromal cells,
• MeSH
• buněčná diferenciace MeSH
• buněčné kultury přístrojové vybavení   MeSH
• buněčné sféroidy patologie   MeSH
• epitelové buňky patologie   MeSH
• extracelulární matrix patologie   MeSH
• kokultivační techniky metody   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mléčné žlázy lidské cytologie   patologie   MeSH
• mléčné žlázy zvířat cytologie   patologie   MeSH
• modely u zvířat MeSH
• myši MeSH
• nádory prsu patologie   MeSH
• organoidy MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• myši MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

Patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) have emerged as an important platform to elucidate new treatments and biomarkers in oncology. PDX models are used to address clinically relevant questions, including the contribution of tumour heterogeneity to therapeutic responsiveness, the patterns of cancer evolutionary dynamics during tumour progression and under drug pressure, and the mechanisms of resistance to treatment. The ability of PDX models to predict clinical outcomes is being improved through mouse humanization strategies and the implementation of co-clinical trials, within which patients and PDXs reciprocally inform therapeutic decisions. This Opinion article discusses aspects of PDX modelling that are relevant to these questions and highlights the merits of shared PDX resources to advance cancer medicine from the perspective of EurOPDX, an international initiative devoted to PDX-based research.

• MeSH
• chemorezistence MeSH
• imunoterapie MeSH
• individualizovaná medicína * MeSH
• klinické zkoušky jako téma MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• metastázy nádorů MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• myši MeSH
• nádorové biomarkery analýza   MeSH
• nádorové kmenové buňky fyziologie   MeSH
• nádory patologie   terapie   MeSH
• xenogenní modely - testy protinádorové aktivity * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• přehledy MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
• Názvy látek
• nádorové biomarkery MeSH