Uploaded September 2019 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
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We can grow organoids ("tiny organs") in the laboratory! Organoids are structures containing tissues which resemble adult organs and they help us to understand development and disease. We make organoids out of stem cells (induced pluripotent stem cells) in the laboratory. We provide stem cells with the right compounds in order to provoke self-organization. Self-organization in organoids is a process in which stem cells follow their genetic instructions to self-organise, thereby creating complex tissues. A famous example is the generation of optic cups from stem cells. We do not need to intervene with the shape of organoids, they assemble themselves.
However, we still cannot grow intact organs in the laboratory. This is because the development of organoids is very complicated and we need to identify which molecules provoke the formation of a specific organ in order to provide stem cells with the former. Nontheless, organoids are currently used in different fields of research.
Cerebral organoids, for example, are used to model infections. They can be compared to tiny brains (although they are not conscious), since their physiology and gene expression is similar to the developing brain. During the zika epidemic in Brazil some years ago, cerebral organoids were used to identify the pathogen. We can also use organoids for the development of new gene therapies (for example intestinal organoids) or to conduct liver toxicity assays (hepatic organoids). We also know other organoids such as thymic, pancreatic or lung organoids or gastruloids. Gastruloids are organoids which mimic early development.
For your further research:
Clevers, Hans. "Modeling development and disease with organoids." Cell 165.7 (2016): 1586-1597.
Tang, Hengli, et al. "Zika virus infects human cortical neural progenitors and attenuates their growth." Cell stem cell 18.5 (2016): 587-590.
Schwank, Gerald, et al. "Functional repair of CFTR by CRISPR/Cas9 in intestinal stem cell organoids of cystic fibrosis patients." Cell stem cell 13.6 (2013): 653-658.
Images (taken from Flickr):
Cerebral organoid: Credit: Vaccarino Lab, Yale University
Research published in: Amiri et al., Transcriptome and epigenome landscape of human cortical development modeled in organoids. Science 362,2018
Inner ear organoid: Credit: Karl R. Koehler, Ph.D., Indiana University School of Medicine
Stem cell aspirations: The Amoeba Sisters youtu.be/t3g26p9Mh_k
Music:
Intro:
Light Sting by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com
Transitions:
Light Thought var 3 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: incompetech.com
About Clemens Steinek:
CLEMENS STEINEK is a postgraduate student/youtuber (LifeLabLearner) who is currently conducting stem cell research in Germany.
Subscribe for more awesome biomedical research: bit.ly/2SRMqhC
We can grow organoids ("tiny organs") in the laboratory! Organoids are structures containing tissues which resemble adult organs and they help us to understand development and disease. We make organoids out of stem cells (induced pluripotent stem cells) in the laboratory. We provide stem cells with the right compounds in order to provoke self-organization. Self-organization in organoids is a process in which stem cells follow their genetic instructions to self-organise, thereby creating complex tissues. A famous example is the generation of optic cups from stem cells. We do not need to intervene with the shape of organoids, they assemble themselves.
However, we still cannot grow intact organs in the laboratory. This is because the development of organoids is very complicated and we need to identify which molecules provoke the formation of a specific organ in order to provide stem cells with the former. Nontheless, organoids are currently used in different fields of research.
Cerebral organoids, for example, are used to model infections. They can be compared to tiny brains (although they are not conscious), since their physiology and gene expression is similar to the developing brain. During the zika epidemic in Brazil some years ago, cerebral organoids were used to identify the pathogen. We can also use organoids for the development of new gene therapies (for example intestinal organoids) or to conduct liver toxicity assays (hepatic organoids). We also know other organoids such as thymic, pancreatic or lung organoids or gastruloids. Gastruloids are organoids which mimic early development.
For your further research:
Clevers, Hans. "Modeling development and disease with organoids." Cell 165.7 (2016): 1586-1597.
Tang, Hengli, et al. "Zika virus infects human cortical neural progenitors and attenuates their growth." Cell stem cell 18.5 (2016): 587-590.
Schwank, Gerald, et al. "Functional repair of CFTR by CRISPR/Cas9 in intestinal stem cell organoids of cystic fibrosis patients." Cell stem cell 13.6 (2013): 653-658.
Images (taken from Flickr):
Cerebral organoid: Credit: Vaccarino Lab, Yale University
Research published in: Amiri et al., Transcriptome and epigenome landscape of human cortical development modeled in organoids. Science 362,2018
Inner ear organoid: Credit: Karl R. Koehler, Ph.D., Indiana University School of Medicine
Stem cell aspirations: The Amoeba Sisters youtu.be/t3g26p9Mh_k
Music:
Intro:
Light Sting by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com
Transitions:
Light Thought var 3 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: incompetech.com
About Clemens Steinek:
CLEMENS STEINEK is a postgraduate student/youtuber (LifeLabLearner) who is currently conducting stem cell research in Germany.
