PUBLICATION
zAvatar-test-A functional precision model to personalize ovarian cancer treatments: Results from a co-clinical study
- Authors
- Estrada, M.F., Amorim, F., Ferreira da Silva, F., Rebelo de Almeida, C., Fontes, M., Coelho, R., Ferreira, S., Canas-Marques, R., Castillo-Martin, M., Casanova, J., Batarda, M.L., Yaniz-Galende, E., LeFormal, A., Marreiros, A., Jacob, F., Heinzelmann-Schwarz, V., Leary, A., Nabais, H., Fior, R.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-260101-4
- Date
- 2025
- Source
- Cell reports. Medicine : 102530102530 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Fior, Rita
- Keywords
- evidence-based medicine, functional precision medicine, ovarian cancer, personalized medicine, pre-clinical testing, predict treatment response, translational, tumor microenvironment, zAvatar model, zebrafish PDX
- MeSH Terms
-
- Aged
- Animals
- Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology
- Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use
- Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic/pharmacology
- Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic/therapeutic use
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/drug effects
- Female
- Humans
- Middle Aged
- Ovarian Neoplasms*/drug therapy
- Ovarian Neoplasms*/pathology
- Precision Medicine*/methods
- Sulfonamides/pharmacology
- Sulfonamides/therapeutic use
- Zebrafish
- PubMed
- 41475339 Full text @ Cell Rep Med
Citation
Estrada, M.F., Amorim, F., Ferreira da Silva, F., Rebelo de Almeida, C., Fontes, M., Coelho, R., Ferreira, S., Canas-Marques, R., Castillo-Martin, M., Casanova, J., Batarda, M.L., Yaniz-Galende, E., LeFormal, A., Marreiros, A., Jacob, F., Heinzelmann-Schwarz, V., Leary, A., Nabais, H., Fior, R. (2025) zAvatar-test-A functional precision model to personalize ovarian cancer treatments: Results from a co-clinical study. Cell reports. Medicine. :102530102530.
Abstract
In ovarian cancer, 80% of patients relapse after first-line therapy. In recurrent cases, oncologists lack reliable tests to guide chemotherapy choices, creating an unmet clinical need. Here, we develop the ovarian cancer zebrafish Avatar-test, a functional in vivo model using patient tumor cells implanted in zebrafish embryos to predict treatment responses. We present the largest observational study (32 patients), where the zAvatar-test achieves 91% accuracy in predicting patient outcomes. Patients with a zAvatar-sensitive-test correlate with longer progression-free survival (17 vs. 6 months). Tumors in zAvatars are dynamic, with human-host cell interactions, and higher metastatic potential in poor-prognosis cases. Finally, as a proof of concept, we demonstrate that venetoclax has the potential to sensitize multidrug-resistant tumors. Altogether, this clinical study demonstrates that the zAvatar-test may help clinicians personalize treatments for ovarian cancer patients. We are now conducting a multicentric randomized clinical trial to evaluate the zAvatar-test as a companion tool in clinical oncology.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping