A rapid spectroscopic platform in identifying cisplatin resistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

At present, the administration of chemotherapy drugs is largely based on physician experience and clinical guidelines. Clearly, a personalized solution would significantly benefit patients in the improvement of clinical outcomes. In this work, we used a spectroscopic approach in which a water-soluble tetrazolium salt (WST-8) assay was applied to patient-derived slice organoids. WST-8 would react with intracellular dehydrogenase resulting in the formation of formazan dye. The absorption at 450nm can be used to assess the viability of the organoids 5 days after initiation of organoid culture. With additional development, this approach may be used to improve the clinical outcome of patients undergoing chemotherapy.