Organoids are miniature, simplified versions of organs that are grown in vitro. These three-dimensional multicellular structures are derived from stem cells and can accurately mimic organs such as the heart, lungs, and liver. Today, organoids enable more efficient drug discovery and basic biological testing. In the future, the next generation of organoids could be used to grow personalized cells to replace damaged tissue.
Bioengineers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have developed a method to create organoids that more closely mimic real organs.
Current methods of producing organoids have significant drawbacks. The stem cells within typical organoids grow and expand somewhat randomly, creating disparate structures in terms of shape, size, and cell type composition. Organoids commonly form with circular, closed architectures, which limits their lifespan and is inconsistent with the anatomy of real organs. Thus, they cannot function successfully in vitro.
The EPFL engineers used a novel method to manipulate the shape of an intestinal organoid and create a structure that mimics real intestines. “Our vision was to extrinsically guide the self-organization of stem cells through a microstructured, tubular hydrogel scaffold,” says Matthias Lutolf, a bioengineer at EPFL. “We wanted to control the shape, size, and accessibility of organoids. After many optimizations, this...
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