Organoid: Biomedical application, biobanking, and pathways to translation

Organoids are tiny stem cell-derived 3D in vitro cell culture systems mimicking the structural and functional aspects of the tissues in the human body and provide a means to study complex bio-physiological processes in normal and disease states (disease modeling) and also for therapeutic screening and clinical trials. Scientists have now developed protocols to maintain and use organoids from diverse human tissues, including the gut, liver, brain, and pancreas, and they have the potential to reduce or remove the dependency on animal models and have research utility and translational potential. One major advantage is that they can be generated from patients with specific genetic diseases, thereby providing options for exploring personalized medicine and rare diseases lacking robust animal models. Recent advances in multi-omics technologies, imaging technologies, biomaterial chemistry, bioengineering, microfluidics, and stem cell research have revolutionized organoid bioengineering, opening the opportunity for mass production, biobanking, and commercialization.