Organoid Models and Applications in Biomedical Research

Recent technical advances in the stem cell field have enabled the in vitro generation of complex structures resembling whole organs termed organoids. Most of these approaches employ three-dimensional (3D) culture systems that allow stem cell-derived or tissue progenitor cells to self-organize into 3D structures. These systems evolved, methodologically and conceptually, from classical reaggregation experiments, showing that dissociated cells from embryonic organs can reaggregate and re-create the original organ architecture. Since organoids can be grown from human stem cells and from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells, they create significant prospects for modelling development and diseases, for…