The National Institutes of Health announced on August 5, 2026, that an international research collaboration has cataloged 665 next-generation laboratory models across 25 types of cancer derived from 2,780 patient donors. Developed over a decade by the Human Cancer Models Initiative (HCMI), the collection pairs patient-derived tumor models with detailed molecular and clinical data to support research into cancer biology and precision therapies.
The laboratory-grown models include organoids and neurosphere cell clusters from brain cancers that exhibit characteristics of neural stem cells. In an analysis of 421 paired tumor and model sets published in Nature, HCMI researchers found that models retained molecular features even after extended laboratory growth. The analysis showed 97.8% agreement in genetic alterations, 95% concordance in epigenetic features regulating genome activity, and 92% similarity in RNA expression patterns.
According to NCI’s Center for Cancer Research Lymphoid Malignancies Branch Chief Louis M. Staudt, M.D., Ph.D., culture conditions for organoid growth did not alter their genetic makeup, state of differentiation, or proliferation rate. In glioblastoma models, researchers detected genetic features linked to resistance against the chemotherapy drug temozolomide, including inherited abnormalities, acquired oncogene amplifications, and mutational signatures from past drug exposure.
The repository includes 522 models with detailed clinical histories, 153 models representing rare cancers, and 71 models from individuals of non-European ancestry. The NIH reported that models and associated genomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic, and clinical data are being distributed through the American Type Culture Collection and can be filtered using the HCMI Searchable Catalog. Companion studies were led by researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories.
