Human and murine adult tissue stem cells (LGR5+) or pluripotent stem cells (ESCs / iPSCs)
control mechanism
3D laminin-rich extracellular matrix (Matrigel) embedding with defined morphogen and Wnt/R-spondin growth factor cues
pioneer
Yoshiki Sasai (self-organizing neural tissues, 2008); Hans Clevers and Toshiro Sato (LGR5+ intestinal crypt-villus organoids, 2009)
Core Principles & Analysis
In 2009, Hans Clevers and colleagues at the Hubrecht Institute demonstrated that single LGR5-expressing adult intestinal stem cells embedded in 3D Matrigel self-organize into crypt-villus intestinal organoids without a mesenchymal niche.
In 2013, Madeline Lancaster and Jürgen Knoblich established cerebral organoids from human pluripotent stem cells in spinning bioreactors that recapitulate layered human fetal cortical development and microcephaly pathology.
Patient-derived tumor organoids ("tumoroids") and rectal organoids from cystic fibrosis patients enable functional precision-medicine drug screening directly on biopsy tissue.