Recent advances in and applications of ex vivo drug sensitivity analysis for blood cancers

Blood cancers, including leukemia, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma, pose significant challenges owing to their heterogeneous nature and the limitations of traditional treatments. Precision medicine has emerged as a transformative approach that offers tailored therapeutic strategies based on individual patient profiles. Ex vivo drug sensitivity analysis is central to this advancement, which enables testing of patient-derived cancer cells against a panel of therapeutic agents to predict clinical responses. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in ex vivo drug sensitivity analyses and their application in blood cancers. We discuss the development of more comprehensive drug response metrics and the evaluation of drug combinations to identify synergistic interactions. Additionally, we present evaluation of the advanced therapeutics such as antibody–drug conjugates using ex vivo assays. This review describes the critical role of ex vivo drug sensitivity analyses in advancing precision medicine by examining technological innovations and clinical applications. Ultimately, these innovations are paving the way for more effective and individualized treatments, improving patient outcomes, and establishing new standards for the management of blood cancers.