NCI’s Patient-Derived Models Repository Announces Its First Patient-Derived Cell Cultures and Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Available to the Scientific Community

The NCI Patient-Derived Models Repository (PDMR) is a publicly accessible, national repository for early-passage, molecularly characterized patient-derived models developed from patients with solid tumors.

The PDMR is releasing its first molecularly characterized patient-derived cell cultures (PDCs) and a large repository of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF).

With this release, 51 PDCs and 100 CAF cultures from a variety of cancer types are now available.

Since 2017, the NCI PDMR has distributed viably cryopreserved PDX material to the research community. Until now, use of this material for research required that investigators have access to animal facilities. Release of these early-passage, molecularly characterized in vitro models expands the use of the PDMR by providing research opportunities to investigators who have limited access to animal facilities.

PDMR Facts

• To date, 185 public models have been developed from 182 unique patients.
• Models are clinically-annotated with molecular information available in an easily accessible database.
• In early 2018, several new cancer types were added to the PDMR collection, including some rare cancers.
• The PDMR includes genetic ancestry for all public models and germline sequence for a subset of the models. 
• The number of PDX, PDC, and CAF models continues to expand, and patient-derived organoid cultures are being developed for future distribution.

Find out how to request models, or contact the NCI PDMR with questions: NCI_PDM_Repository@mail.nih.gov

Read the NCI Cancer Currents Blog, “NCI Expands Repository of Cancer Research Models: A Conversation with Drs. Doroshow and Evrard” for more details on the PDMR.