Concise Review: Organoids Are a Powerful Tool for the Study of Liver Disease and Personalized Treatment Design in Humans and Animals

Stem Cells Transl Med. 2016 Mar;5(3):325-30. doi: 10.5966/sctm.2015-0152. Epub 2016 Jan 21.

Abstract

Organoids are three-dimensional culture systems in which adult stem cells and their progeny grow and represent the native physiology of the cells in vivo. Organoids have been successfully derived from several organ systems in both animal models and human patients. Organoids have been used for fundamental research, disease modeling, drug testing, and transplantation. In this review, we summarize the applications of liver-derived organoids and discuss their potential. It is likely that organoids will provide an invaluable tool to unravel disease mechanisms, design novel (personalized) treatment strategies, and generate autologous stem cells for gene editing and transplantation purposes.

Keywords: Adult stem cell culture; Applications; Liver; Organoids.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Cell Culture Techniques*
  • Humans
  • Liver / cytology*
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Organoids / cytology*
  • Stem Cell Transplantation
  • Stem Cells / cytology*