Zebrafish Avatars for Predicting Sarcoma Treatment Responses

Pediatric sarcomas, like osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma, are aggressive cancers that are difficult to treat, especially when they return after initial therapy. Right now, doctors often rely on trial-and-error to determine which treatments might work, a process that takes time and exposes children to unnecessary side effects. This project will test whether zebrafish avatars—tiny living models implanted with patient tumor cells—can accurately predict how a child’s cancer will respond to known treatments. By validating these models against real patient outcomes, we hope to create a faster, more precise way to guide treatment decisions and improve survival rates.