All articles tagged with #organoids
Researchers created endometrium organoids that cycle with hormones, shed tissue during progesterone withdrawal, and then regenerate, showing luminal epithelial cells drive repair and providing a simple lab model to study uterine regeneration and related diseases.
A Nature study identifies CASP5C, a human intestinal epithelial isoform of caspase-5, as a catalytic amplifier of Wnt signaling. CASP5C binds Dishevelled and cleaves APC at Asp556, destabilizing the β-catenin destruction complex and boosting Wnt activity to promote transit-amplifying cell proliferation and organoid growth; CASP5A and CASP5B lack this activity. CASP5C is upregulated during injury and in inflammatory bowel disease, revealing a non-immune role for inflammatory caspases in intestinal homeostasis.
Researchers are growing brain organoids and assembloids to study brain diseases and even model pain pathways, but the organoids are not conscious and remain developmentally immature; the debate now centers on ethics and governance, especially around transplanting human organoids into animals and balancing potential therapies with welfare concerns.
UT Dallas and UT Southwestern researchers found that colon tissue from younger colorectal cancer patients is abnormally stiff due to fibrotic collagen, in both tumor and nearby healthy tissue, and experiments with cells on stiff substrates and patient-derived organoids show stiffness promotes faster cancer growth; the study suggests biomechanical forces may contribute to rising cases of early-onset colorectal cancer and could guide future diagnosis and therapy, published in Advanced Science.
A plant-derived limonoid named DHL-11, isolated from Munronia henryi, binds a non-catalytic pocket on IMPDH2 to trigger its degradation, reduce GMP synthesis, elevate ROS and DNA damage, and induce G2/M arrest and apoptosis in triple-negative breast cancer cells. The compound also suppressed growth and metastasis in patient-derived organoids and in vivo TNBC models, marking it as a promising IMPDH2-targeted therapy for IMPDH2-positive tumors.
Governments from the UK, US, and EU are accelerating plans to reduce or phase out animal testing, backed by rapid advances in new approach methodologies (NAMs) such as organs-on-chips, organoids, and AI-based models. Regulators are beginning to accept NAM data and fund or pilot related tools (e.g., FDA ISTAND), and industry is investing in human biology models. Yet experts warn that many biological systems remain too complex for non-animal methods, and full replacement will take time; the trend is a staged 3Rs-driven decline, not an immediate end to animal research.
Northwestern researchers grew 3-millimeter-wide human spinal cord organoids from iPSCs, injured them in two ways, and treated them with IKVAV-PA 'dancing' supramolecular peptides that form a scaffold and promote axon regrowth. The treated tissues showed reduced glial scar and inflammation and enhanced neurite growth, aligning with prior mouse data and suggesting potential for human therapies—though clinical use is years away. The work was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
Scientists transplanted human brain organoids into developing rat embryos, enabling vascularization and functional integration that allowed the human cells to respond to stimuli and influence a rat’s behavior — a breakthrough for human-brain models, but raising ethical questions about consciousness, donor consent, and animal welfare.
Researchers combine multiple donor liver cell types to form in vitro liver assembloids that recapitulate periportal tissue, moving toward miniature human livers for faster drug testing and personalized therapies.
A large hiPSC-based study generated cortical organoids from eight ASD-risk mutations, idiopathic ASD, and controls, profiling gene expression across 25–100 days. Early mutation-specific changes give way to convergent transcriptional and chromatin-regulatory disruptions enriched for ASD risk genes, including SWI–SNF components. CRISPRi validation supports key regulators driving this convergent network, suggesting that diverse genetic risks in ASD propagate through shared transcriptional pathways that affect early neurodevelopment, while idiopathic cases show less convergence.
Lab-grown human nasal tissue reveals that an early interferon-driven antiviral defense in nasal cells can stop rhinovirus infection and prevent illness. When this response is fast, the virus is contained with few or no symptoms; if it lags, infection spreads, triggering inflammation and mucus. The findings point to therapies that boost the body's own defenses rather than targeting the virus itself.
Researchers developed human liver assembloids combining hepatocytes, cholangiocytes, and mesenchyme to mimic periportal liver tissue in vitro, enabling patient-specific disease modeling and functional studies, including fibrosis.
Scientists found that human brain circuits produce ordered electrical patterns even before sensory experiences, suggesting that our brains are prewired with internal timing rules for understanding the world, as demonstrated through experiments on brain organoids and neonatal mouse slices.
Innovative approaches called NAMs are replacing animal testing in biomedical research, offering more human-relevant, ethical, and cost-effective methods for drug testing and understanding biology. Despite progress and regulatory support, adoption faces resistance, especially in publishing and funding, highlighting the need for systemic change in scientific practices.
Scientists have created miniature human brain organoids, sparking ethical debates about whether these lab-grown brains could become conscious and if experimenting on them would be justified, with public opinion divided on the issue.