This makes them particularly valuable for understanding tumour biology and studying mechanisms of drug sensitivity and resistance, providing insights that can be difficult to capture using conventional cancer cell lines or animal models.
A further strength of the HCMI resource is their clinical diversity. The consortium actively sought to establish models from a broad range of tumour types, stages and patient populations including under-represented populations. As a result, the collection includes not only models derived from common cancers and cancer subtypes, but also models from rare cancers or cancers of unmet need and models originated from patients of ethnic minorities and non-European ancestry.
In total, 224 models were generated from rare cancers and under-represented patients, helping to create a resource that better reflects the diversity seen in real-world patient populations.
Helping to replace, reduce and refine
The HCMI collection represents one of the most comprehensive and diverse repositories of next-generation cancer models currently available. While animal models remain necessary for certain aspects of cancer research, the availability models like those created by the HCMI – that are much more closely related to the diseases we are trying to treat – can facilitate the development of novel cancer therapeutics.
The HCMI collection aligns closely with Cancer Research UK’s commitment to ensuring that animals are only used in research where there is no suitable alternative and that every opportunity is taken to replace, reduce and refine their use. By providing access to clinically annotated patient-derived models that retain many of the biological and molecular features of human tumours, this resource allows researchers not only to reduce animal use but also to improve the quality and translational value of preclinical research.
As the field continues to evolve, NAM methodologies are expected to play an increasingly important role in shaping cancer research towards a more human-centric approach and reduced dependence on animal studies. The HCMI resource demonstrates how large-scale international collaboration can accelerate this transition by providing the research community with models that better reflect human disease, generate more clinically meaningful data and support more informed decision-making that will ultimately be translated in patient benefit.
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