Traditional cancer treatments often follow a trial-and-error approach, exposing patients to unnecessary toxicity. To address this, we have developed zebrafish patient-derived xenografts (zAvatars), as sensors for cancer behavior and personalized therapy screening. This model demonstrates high predictive accuracy: 91% in colorectal cancer, 100% in breast cancer, and 89% in ovarian cancer. It also allows screening for responses to radiotherapy and targeted therapies.
The success of zAvatars has led to a randomized clinical trial in ovarian and breast cancers, aiming to validate zAvatars as a clinical decision-making tool. Patients are randomized to receive treatment either based on clinician/patient choice or based on zAvatar sensitivity testing.

Additionally, the lab has discovered that some human tumors either evade or are rejected by the zebrafish innate immune system, depending on their ability to create an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. This immune interaction is being studied to identify new therapeutic targets and improve immunotherapy selection.