EMBO Molecular Medicine · Published 2026-07-03 · DOI 10.1038/s44321-026-00472-y
Manuel Valiente, Lal Era Aydoğan, Nisan Feigin, Clara Gahn, Carolina Hernandez-Oliver, Friedrich Milling, Evren Oktem, Carmen Ortega-Sabater, Neibla Priego, Alessia Andrea Ricci, Giulia Capella, Luca Mangherini, Laura Serrano-Ron, Antonia Stammberger, Juan Vazquez-Canto, Katharina J Weber, Rebekka Wehner, Thomas Broggini, Marcus Czabanka, Serap Aksu, Fatima Al-Shahrour, Luca Bertero, Marc Schmitz, Itay Tirosh, Hind Medyouf, RISEBrain Consortium
Abstract Brain metastases (BrM) affect up to 30% of patients with solid tumors, yet durable intracranial control remains rare, and the biological drivers of this poor prognosis are incompletely understood. Patient-derived resources, such as clinical cohorts, biobanks, functional ex vivo models, and multi-omic platforms, are central to closing this gap, but their generation and integration face substantial logistical and technical hurdles. Drawing on the RISEbrain consortium's experience, this Perspective examines BrM-focused cohorts and biobanks, highlighting the underused potential of rapid autopsy programs to capture early metastatic seeding. We discuss patient-derived organotypic cultures and emerging organoid-based "avatar" systems as functional platforms for therapeutic profiling, alongside the complementary strengths of bulk and single-cell/-nucleus transcriptomics. We outline how spatial transcriptomics and proteomics are resolving the architecture of the BrM microenvironment, and assess liquid biopsy approaches, including emerging photonic biosensors, for non-invasive monitoring. Together, these resources form an interdependent toolkit whose coordinated deployment will advance early detection, prevention, and precision treatment of BrM.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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Valiente, M., Aydoğan, L., Feigin, N., et al. (2026). Patient-derived resources for decoding and targeting brain metastases ecosystems. EMBO Molecular Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44321-026-00472-y