Ouaidat Sara, Bellapianta Alessandro, Ammer-Pickhardt Franziska, Taghipour Tara, Bolz Matthias, Salti Ahmad
Research Group Cellular and Molecular Ophthalmology, University Clinic for Ophthalmology and Optometry, Kepler University Hospital, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria.
Department of Biosciences & Medical Biology, Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg (PLUS), Salzburg, Austria.
Expert Rev Mol Med. 2025 Mar 27;27:e14. doi: 10.1017/erm.2025.9.
The recent emergence of three-dimensional organoids and their utilization as in vitro disease models confirmed the complexities behind organ-specific functions and unravelled the importance of establishing suitable human models for various applications. Also, in light of persistent challenges associated with their use, researchers have been striving to establish more advanced structures (i.e. assembloids) that can help address the limitations presented in the current organoids.
In this review, we discuss the distinct organoid types that are available to date, with a special focus on retinal and brain organoids, and highlight their importance in disease modelling.
We refer to published research to explore the extent to which retinal and brain organoids can serve as potential alternatives to organ/cell transplants and direct our attention to the topic of photostimulation in retinal organoids. Additionally, we discuss the advantages of incorporating microfluidics and organ-on-a-chip devices for boosting retinal organoid performance. The challenges of organoids leading to the subsequent development of assembloid fusion models are also presented.
In conclusion, organoid technology has laid the foundation for generating upgraded models that not only better replicate in vivo systems but also allow for a deeper comprehension of disease pathophysiology.
三维类器官的近期出现及其作为体外疾病模型的应用，证实了器官特异性功能背后的复杂性，并揭示了建立适用于各种应用的人体模型的重要性。此外，鉴于其使用中存在的持续挑战，研究人员一直在努力建立更先进的结构（即组装体），以帮助解决当前类器官中存在的局限性。
在本综述中，我们讨论了迄今为止可用的不同类型的类器官，特别关注视网膜和脑类器官，并强调它们在疾病建模中的重要性。
我们参考已发表的研究，探讨视网膜和脑类器官可在多大程度上作为器官/细胞移植的潜在替代物，并将我们的注意力引向视网膜类器官中的光刺激主题。此外，我们讨论了结合微流体和芯片器官装置以提高视网膜类器官性能的优势。还介绍了类器官导致组装体融合模型后续发展的挑战。
总之，类器官技术为生成升级模型奠定了基础，这些模型不仅能更好地复制体内系统，还能更深入地理解疾病病理生理学。
