Research Advances and Disease Modeling in Respiratory Organoids

Organoid culture represents a sophisticated biological model that surpasses traditional two-dimensional (2D) methods and animal models in physiological relevance and cost-effectiveness. Current organoid systems derive from adult, fetal, and induced pluripotent stem cells, providing innovative platforms for studying organ development, disease pathogenesis, and drug discovery. Recent technological advances now enable respiratory organoids to significantly contribute to respiratory disease research. This review comprehensively synthesizes the development of respiratory organoid models and their applications in studying major respiratory diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer. It further evaluates the transformative potential of these models in advancing respiratory disease research. Respiratory organoids uniquely model disease mechanisms and drug responses in human-specific microenvironments, enabling pathogenesis studies of respiratory diseases. They serve as functional platforms for drug screening and personalized therapy development. Future integration of multi-organoid systems with precision medicine promises to redefine respiratory disease research paradigms.