| Synovial Sarcoma is a rare, malignant muscle cancer that commonly effects adolescents. Lack of testing opportunities and viable treatment options and innovation in the last thirty years highlights the need for novel, groundbreaking therapies. HSP90, a chaperone protein responsible for stabilizing proteins under stress, can be hijacked by cancer to induce oncogenic signaling. Inhibition of HSP90 may allow deregulation of the cancer machinery and force apoptotic vulnerability. Of interest to this inhibition study is the capability to overcome limitations of traditional two-dimensional and current three-dimensional cell culture models deemed
incapable of fully replicating the biological setting. Three-dimensional cell cultures utilizing advanced structural matrices and scaffolds aim to bridge the gap between the biological and laboratory setting, mimicking the tumor environment to a high degree. Drug screening in this environment will help to ease the translational burden from in vitro studies to clinical trials. Three-dimensional culture in combination with sampling of patient cancer tissue to develop patient-derived organoids looks to deliver a tailored therapy to each patient based on their unique cancer, an approach deemed Functional Precision Medicine. Utilizing these advanced culture techniques, along with a novel inhibition therapy, this research looks to provide a new standard of treatment in the continuing fight against synovial sarcoma and other soft tissue cancers. |