Researchers at the University of Southampton, with funding from Against Breast Cancer and Cancer Research UK, have developed a pioneering lab model that mimics breast cancer in people with obesity, shedding light on why treatment can be less effective in these patients.
Previously, a major challenge for studies aiming to unravel links between obesity and breast cancer risk has been the lack of good laboratory models that accurately mimic the environment of breast cancer in people with obesity.
However, in a recent study, the Southampton team present a 3D “mini-tumour” model that includes breast cancer cells, fat cells, immune cells, and supporting tissue. It’s the first to closely replicate the inflamed, fatty tumour environment found in obesity.
The team discovered that tumours grown in an “obese” environment showed resistance to paclitaxel, a commonly used chemotherapy drug for breast cancer. However, the same tumours were more sensitive to metformin – a diabetes drug that has shown promise in cancer therapy – suggesting it may have therapeutic benefit in this setting.
ABC funded researcher Dr Charles Birts
“This model gives us a much clearer picture of how obesity can influence breast cancer biology and drive treatment resistance in breast cancer,” said Dr Charles Birts, one of the senior authors of the study. “It provides a valuable tool for identifying better treatment strategies for patients with obesity.”
Professor Max Crispin, Director of Southampton’s Institute for Life Sciences and an Against Breast Cancer-funded researcher, welcomed the findings, saying: “This study represents a major step forward in understanding how obesity alters the tumour environment. By using a realistic, animal-free model, researchers can now study these interactions in far greater detail and move closer to developing more personalised and effective treatments for people with breast cancer.”
The study brought together clinical and scientific expertise from across the University of Southampton. Contributors from cancer immunology, biomedical research, biological sciences, and clinical medicine collaborated to build the model, demonstrating the power of interdisciplinary research in tackling complex diseases like breast cancer.
The full study, “Development and characterisation of a novel 3D in vitro model of obesity-associated breast cancer as a tool for drug testing,” was published in NPJ Breast Cancer on 30th May 2025 (11:50).