Kidney cancer models matched immunotherapy responses in a six-patient cohort

Patient-specific kidney cancer assembloids, models combining cancer cells, fibroblasts and immune cells, reproduced treatment responses in a six-patient cohort in a Nature study. After 7 days of anti-PD-1 treatment, models from four patients showed tumour reduction; models from two did not show significant tumour cell death. Those responses matched the patients' clinical outcomes. Manipulating individual components exposed a signalling mechanism: tumour-derived WNT prompts fibroblasts to produce activin A, supporting stem-like CD8+ T cells and treatment responsiveness. Restoring LRP6 expression in fibroblasts from non-responders restored responsiveness in the models.