Organoid

Organoids are defined as complex three-dimensional (3D) structures that mimic the function of organs in the body. Organoids are usually generated from progenitor cells, which are isolated from embryos or derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). These methods are an evolution of traditional reaggregation experiments with embryonic tissues, suggesting that aggregates of progenitor cells can differentiate and form 3D structures similar to early organogenesis. Most current techniques involve the patterning of exogenous tissue using specific growth factors, and the embedding of extracellular matrix (ECM) gels, followed by reaggregation to stimulate cell movement and self-organize into 3D tissue. Organoids can recapitulate a variety of interactions, such as cell-to-cell, cell-to-matrix, and tissue-specific physiological functions. Therefore, they have a wide range of applications in the fields of basic biology, drug discovery, disease modeling, regenerative medicine, and personalized medicine.

Organoids are superior to 2D cell culture system because they retain the tissue structure and heterogeneous cell composition of the organs from which they are derived, while tissue-derived organoids are closer to in vivo organs than other 3D cultures (spheroids) with poor cell heterogeneity.

• Similar structure and composition to primary tissue: Organoids possess a small number of self-renewing stem cells that can differentiate into cells of all major cell lineages with frequencies similar to physiological conditions.
• Relevant models of in vivo conditions: Organoids are more biologically relevant than any other model system and are amenable to manipulate niche components and gene sequence.
• Stable system for extensible culture: Through self-renewal, stem cell differentiation and intrinsic self-organization, organoids can be cryopreserved as a biobank and expanded indefinitely.

So far, the growing of organoids has been a laborious manual process, which varies greatly from batch to batch, and is therefore largely confined to specialized research laboratories. Before organoids can be widely used for research and industrial applications, the consistent growth of organoids needs to be scaled-up and become sufficiently robust. OrganoLab has established and validated a scalable process for the expansion of organoids without these historical limitations.

Our services leverage our organoid technology to deliver clinically-relevant, decision-making insights. Our experienced team is ready to design and perform your studies with the endpoints you want in mind.

Reference

1. Xinaris C. et al.; Organoid Models and Applications in Biomedical Research. Nephron, 2015, 130: 191-199.