Neuromuscular organoids for the study of cachexia
23.02.2026
In an article published in the journal «Cell Reports Methods» a group of researchers from the University of Padua propose a new platform for studying muscle mass loss caused by cancer.
Researchers from the Departments of Molecular Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Padua have utilised neuromuscular organoids (NMO) derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) as a new platform to study cancer-induced muscle wasting. Thanks to their three-dimensional structure, the experimental muscle fibres are more mature and developed compared to those obtained with traditional two-dimensional cultures, creating a more physiological environment better able to reproduce muscle responses.
Cancer cachexia is a syndrome affecting up to 80% of patients with solid tumours, characterised by the loss of muscle mass and sometimes also body fat, and there are still no effective therapies. The limitations of studies conducted with laboratory animals highlight the need to develop study systems with human tissues in three-dimensional cultures.
"Having a model of human skeletal muscle in the laboratory in which to study the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer-induced muscle wasting opens up new perspectives for understanding and identifying possible therapeutic targets specific to humans," explains Anna Urciuolo from the Department of Molecular Medicine at the University of Padua. "The published results are the outcome of a productive collaborative effort within the University of Padua, which particularly involved colleagues Roberta Sartori and Marco Sandri from the Department of Biomedical Sciences, who have been studying muscle cachexia for years. Complementary skills and experiences were combined with a multidisciplinary scientific approach to achieve a common goal".
The NMO effectively respond to atrophic stimuli, reproducing the main characteristics of cancer cachexia. The neuromuscular organoid model thus represents significant progress for cancer cachexia research, offering a promising human muscle model to study the mechanisms behind cachexia and to develop potential therapies.
The project, titled "Modeling and targeting the mechanisms underlying cancer-cachexia using human neuromuscular system in vitro models," has received funding from the Panciera Foundation.
