1. Organoids: Small Cells Doing Big Things
Franklin T Wilson
Introduction
Organoids are small three-
dimensional tissues that mimic the
function of it’s larger organ origin.
They were first propagated in 2007
by Hans Clever with a “mini-gut”, and
have since then exploded in
popularity among researchers. Today,
there are many different types of
organoids including cerebral,
pancreatic, and cardiac cells. The
possible uses for these external mini-
organs are obviously far-reaching,
but the time and cost to produce
them is still relatively high. However,
with the constant technological
advancements being made by
researchers everyday, the time and
cost for cultivating these organoids is
decreasing everyday.
The goal of this research was to
- Learn the process of cultivating
organoids
- Learn about the different organoid
tissues being grown presently
- Explore the potential of organoids in
the medical, pharmaceutical, and
biotechnological fields
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Although organoids are still in their
relative infancy as a field of research,
they are already showing a great
amount of potential. As our
methodologies and techniques
continue to advance for cultivating
them, so does our potential for
medical and scientific use and
understanding.
The basic premise of cultivating
organoids is to harvest pluripotent stem
cells (PSCs) from a desired organ. The
cells are then cultured the cells in a
nutritional gel-like environment, allowing
them to grow in three dimensions.
Through the use of certain stimulators
and procedures, they are able to
“convince” the cells to grow, and they
naturally form themselves into a ball-like
structure. This structure, although not
complete by any means, has the basic
elements of a miniature organ without
the need for a blood supply, as it is
nourished by the surrounding gel.
The method of research was largely
online scholarly article-based study.
Thanks to Dr. Barlow at GTCC, peer-
reviewed journal articles were easily
obtained that otherwise would have
been inaccessible for this research.
Results
Organoid derivation and development (credit: Rene Anand and Susan McKay)
As the list of organoid types grows, so
does the potential uses for them. At
Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative
Medicine for example, they are already
able to produce cardiac and liver
organoids that can be used to test
harmful “chemical and biological
agents” on tissues without having to
use live animals, which is beneficial for
a multitude of reasons. From there,
they will be potentially able to produce
anecdotes and treatments for these
biological agents, all potentially without
the use of laboratory animals.