Novoprotein Scientific Inc., Shanghai, China (People's Republic)
Abstract: Organoids are structures comprised of multiple cell types that are spatially organized similarly to an organ and recapitulate at least some specific organ functions. Several types of organoids have been described, derived both from adult tissue and from pluripotent stem cells. This technology will likely have a major impact on the study of developmental biology, organ physiology and function, and disease modeling. The lung bud organoid (LBO) model described in the current protocol displays branching morphogenesis, proximodistal specification and evidence of early alveologenesis both in vivo and in vitro. Their development reaches a stage equivalent to the second trimester of human development. LBO-derived branching structures in Matrigel contain type 2 alveolar epithelial cells (AT2) with abundant lamellar bodies. Pulmonary fibrosis model can be induced by bleomycin treatment. The LBOs generated by this study therefore fulfill the definition of true organoids, and will be useful for studying human lung development and potentially for modeling human lung disease.
