Our Models

Learn about our state-of-the-art pre-clinical models

TRACER Microtumor Atlas

The radar plot shows the breadth of the TRACER microtumor resource, a growing,
functionally annotated collection of patient-derived 3D tumor models spanning more
than 30 rare and challenging cancer types.

What Are Microtumors?

TRACER microtumors are living, 3D tumor fragments generated directly from freshly resected
or cryopreserved patient tissue. Unlike conventional 2D cell lines, microtumors retain:

  • Native tumor architecture
  • Stromal and immune components
  • Cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions
  • Preserved intratumoral heterogeneity

These properties allow microtumors to more faithfully reflect the biology and therapeutic
vulnerabilities of a patient’s cancer.

Why Microtumors Matter?

Rare cancers face a fundamental challenge: limited models, limited data, and limited therapeutic
options.
TRACER microtumors enable:

  • Functional drug sensitivity testing across hundreds of FDA-approved and investigational
    agents
  • Integration with RNA sequencing and multi-omics profiling
  • Rapid evaluation of drug combinations
  • Preclinical validation for clinical translation
    Because microtumors can be generated from small biopsy samples, this platform is particularly
    powerful for ultra-rare cancers where tissue is scarce and traditional model development is not
    feasible.

Expanding the Rare Cancer Landscape

The TRACER microtumor program is continuously growing through collaborations with
surgeons, oncologists, patient advocates, biobanks, and national rare cancer networks. New
tumor types and subtypes are incorporated regularly.

Our goal is simple but ambitious: To make functional precision oncology accessible for patients
with rare cancers.