Gastrointestinal tract modeling using organoids engineered with cellular and microbiota niches

Abstract

Tissue engineering: realistic gastrointestinal tract models Miniature guts and stomachs grown in the laboratory together with supporting cells and microbes provide a physiologically relevant model for studying gastrointestinal disease and testing candidate drug therapies. In a review article, Seung-Woo Cho and colleagues from Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea, discuss the latest approaches scientists and drug developers are using to coax collections of stem cells into gut-like structures that best reproduce the biology of the human stomach and intestines. To precisely emulate the gastrointestinal environment, researchers have begun integrating cells from neighboring connective tissues, including structural cells, neural cells, and immune cells, along with resident bacteria and viruses that contribute to health and disease. Techniques such as bioprinting and microfluidics, and new biomaterials are being used to mimic the three-dimensional architecture of the digestive tract on a small scale.