Today we’re celebrating (and enjoying) World Organoid Research Day 2023, a day to embrace the tiny organ-like structures with enormous potential in science and healthcare. Researchers from across the globe are gathering on the Organoid Spheroid platform for a day of mind-blowing presentations, and we at Axol are joining in, flying the flag for organoids and the crucial role that iPSCs play in their development.

So what are organoids?

First and foremost, organoids are a complete accident! Their history is often connected back to Hans Clevers’ work in 2008, when his team in the Netherlands harvested stem cells from intestinal biopsy tissue. He expected the cells to multiply, but instead they formed epithelial-like structures (which he aptly named ‘mini guts’) accompanied by other cell types found in the gut.

Fifteen years on from the “mini gut” discovery, organoids are grown in vitro (in a lab) from stem cells, which have the ability to develop into various types of cells and tissues. Organoids can mimic the structure and function of specific organs or tissues in the body, such as the brain, liver, kidney, and intestine, to name a few. This organ-like, 3D structure gives rise to the name “organoid”.

Why does this matter? In essence, by creating structures that closely resemble specific organs, researchers can study the development and function of those organs in more detail, as well as test the efficacy and safety of potential therapies before they are tested in humans. As we are seeing in the online event, organoids can also be used to regenerate damaged or diseased tissues by implanting them back into the body. There is now a huge diversity of application from disease modelling to drug discovery, cancer research and regenerative medicine.

How are iPSCs involved?

IPSCs are often used as the building blocks of organoids and you need good quality cells to get better, more robust organoids. The power of iPSCs stems (if you’ll pardon the pun) from their reproducibility and relevance to human physiology. iPSCs can be reliably differentiated into desired end point cells, which will physiologically reflect what we see in the human body.

So whilst organoids have exciting applications in a variety of areas, this all relies on high quality iPSCs and iPSC-derived cells.

 

Axol’s role in supporting organoid research and usage

We routinely supply axoCells^TM to labs building organoids for small-scale and large-scale use. The priority for us has always been about quality, consistency and relevance.

Much of our work has focussed on the brain and modelling neurodegenerative diseases; as a complex tissue environment comprising many different neural cell types, the brain is a natural (and promising) area of iPSC research.

Here are some publications showing how our collaborators used our iPSC-derived neural stem cells to recapitulate the physiological environment for better, physiologically relevant research.

Human Cortex Spheroid with a Functional Blood Brain Barrier for High-Throughput Neurotoxicity Screening and Disease Modeling

Researchers at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine have developed a 3D spheroid model of the blood brain barrier and cortex using six key cell types. This neurovascular organoid model contained tight junctions, adherens junctions and transport proteins and was shown to functionally respond to known neurotoxins.

The development of spheroid brain models has the potential for physiologically relevant in vitro models, applicable to toxicity screening, disease modelling and drug development.

Human neural stem cells dispersed in artificial ECM form cerebral organoids when grafted in vivo

In this publication, Basuodan et al. explored the potential of Axol’s Human iPSC-derived Neural Stem Cells to generate organoids, comparing the differentiation process in vitro with neural stem cells transplanted in vivo.

Culturing in a 3D artificial extracellular matrix led to the successful generation of organoids in vitro. In vivo, neural stem cells transplanted in a gel matrix formed organized structures resembling cerebral organoids. Interestingly, the stem cells simulated the development pathway of neural tube formation (part of the developing brain), but the really exciting part of the in vivo experiment was when host cells such as microglia and blood vessels were observed to integrate with the organoid.

This early stage investigation highlights the possibility of stem cell replacement therapy to repair brain injuries.

At Axol, we’re always happy to discuss your needs (organoids or not!) so if you think we can help you, please get in touch.