Background/Purpose: Conventional three-dimensional in vitro tumor models often fail to fully capture the complexity of the tumor microenvironment, particularly the diverse populations of cancer-associated fibroblasts that contribute to poor prognosis and treatment resistance. The purpose of this study is to develop a patient-specific gastric cancer assembloid model that integrates tumor epithelial cells with matched stromal cell subtypes, each derived using tailored growth media to enhance cancer preclinical research and advance personalized therapeutic strategies. Methods: Tumor tissue was dissociated, and cells expanded in media for organoids, mesenchymal stem cells, fibroblasts, or endothelial cells. The resulting tumor-derived subpopulations were co-cultured in an optimized assembloid medium supporting each cell type’s growth. Biomarker expression was assessed by immunofluorescence staining, and transcriptomic profiles were analyzed by RNA sequencing. Drug responsiveness was evaluated using cell viability assays following treatment with various therapeutic agents. Results: The optimized co-culture conditions yielded assembloids that closely mimicked the cellular heterogeneity of primary tumors, confirmed by the expression of epithelial and stromal markers. Compared to monocultures, the assembloids showed higher expression of inflammatory cytokines, extracellular matrix remodeling factors, and tumor progression-related genes across different organoids and stromal ratios. Drug screening revealed patient- and drug-specific variability. While some drugs were effective in both organoid and assembloid models, others lost efficacy in the assembloids, highlighting the critical role of stromal components in modulating drug responses. Conclusions: This assembloid system offers a robust platform to study tumor–stroma interactions, identify resistance mechanisms, and accelerate drug discovery and personalized therapeutic strategies for gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND Background: Virtual communities of practice are an important avenue for knowledge sharing within medical specialties. This form of continuing education can directly impact patient care and treatment outcomes. The field of menopause has been largely neglected in medical education, and therefore many health care practitioners feel ill-equipped to address patient needs. This is complicated by the fact that many patients are opposed to using hormone replacement therapy, and it is not relevant for a significant portion of women. OBJECTIVE Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate which factors are essential to establish trust of the participants in this virtual community of practice so that it can serve as an effective form of continuing education in order to establish guidelines for communities in other fields of medicine. METHODS Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between December 5th, 2022, and June 1st, 2023, of participants in a virtual community of practice focused on menopause in Israel. Participants responded to questions regarding their use of the community and its utility. Ordinal regression analysis was used to identify the strength of relationships between the variables. RESULTS Results: Of the 306 professionals in the group, 91 participated (29.7%). The participants included 77 physicians (84.6%). The majority of participants checked the group once a week or less (50/91, 54.9%). Participants were more likely to ask questions than answer with 64/90 (71.1%) asking questions and 44/91 (48.4%) answering. The majority of participants who answered more than once a month were OB/GYNs (8/11, 72.7%) and were more likely to have completed residency more than 15 years ago. The majority of participants felt the group increased their knowledge base (46/91, 50.5%), was relevant (73/91, 80.2%), and included interesting articles (61/91, 67.0%). The overwhelming majority felt that they could trust the group (72/89, 81%). Women are more trusting of men, and junior HCPs are more trusting. Those HCPs who found the group increased their knowledge base, provided relevant information and interesting articles were most likely to report high trust. Ordinal regression analysis showed that finding the groups’ posts informative was related to high trust, whereas the frequency with which participants checked the group was not related. CONCLUSIONS Conclusion: These findings suggest that quality of information provided in VCoPs are an important predictor of the level of trust of the participants. The high levels of trust in this community make it a powerful tool for continuing education in a field where knowledge gaps and controversies exist.