Like many childhood cancers, malignant rhabdoid tumours (MRT) are thought to arise from aberrant foetal development. Although MRT predominantly exhibit a mesenchymal phenotype, it has been suggested that the foetal root of MRT lies in neural crest development. Here, we combine phylogenetic analyses of MRT, single cell mRNA assays, and functional experiments in patient-derived MRT organoids, to define the embryological origin of MRT and explore therapeutic avenues that may drive MRT ... (Show More)

Like many childhood cancers, malignant rhabdoid tumours (MRT) are thought to arise from aberrant foetal development. Although MRT predominantly exhibit a mesenchymal phenotype, it has been suggested that the foetal root of MRT lies in neural crest development. Here, we combine phylogenetic analyses of MRT, single cell mRNA assays, and functional experiments in patient-derived MRT organoids, to define the embryological origin of MRT and explore therapeutic avenues that may drive MRT differentiation. Phylogenetic analyses from the distribution of somatic mutations revealed that MRT were related to neural crest-derived, but not to mesodermal tissues, providing direct evidence of the neural crest origin of MRT in humans. In MRT organoids, rever... (Read more)