Immunofluorescence staining of colorectal cancer patient-derived organoids.

Organoids recapitulate the cellular heterogeneity, functionality, architecture and molecular signature of the organ or diseased tissue from which they are derived. They thus provide a bridge between traditional 2D culture systems and animal models and have profoundly enhanced our ability to study organ development and disease in vitro. Fluorescence microscopy has been an essential method in characterizing the cellular and morphological composition of organoids and demonstrating that they faithfully recapitulate the in vivo tissue of origin. Here we provide a straightforward method for immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy imaging of colorectal cancer (CRC) patient-derived organoids (PDOs) in basement matrix. The method is applicable to other types of human organoids, and we have also successfully used it on organoids derived from the mouse mammary gland.