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Stem cell-derived organoids and their application for medical research and patient treatment

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Abstract

3D culture has allowed the initiation and expansion of organ-like structures, called organoids, from either tissue-resident adult stem cells or pluripotent stem cells. Today, organoids can be grown to resemble a wide variety of organs, exhibiting remarkable similarity to their in vivo counterparts. As successful organoid generation is possible from virtually every patient, organoids hold a great promise for medical research and the development of new treatments. They have already found their way into the clinic, enabling personalized medicine in small patient trials. In this review, we provide an update on current organoid technology and summarize their application in basic research, disease modelling, drug development, personalized treatment and regenerative medicine.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Chris Hindley for the editing advice and the members of the Bartfeld lab for comments on the text. SB is supported by the Käthe and Josef Klinz Foundation.

H.C. is named as the inventor of several patents related to Lgr5 stem cell-based organoid technology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Infectious Diseases, ZINF, Institute for Molecular Infection Biology, IMIB, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str 2/D15, 97080, Würzburg, Germany

    Sina Bartfeld

  2. Hubrecht Institute, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Hans Clevers

  3. Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, 3584 CT, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Hans Clevers

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  1. Sina Bartfeld
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  2. Hans Clevers
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Correspondence to Sina Bartfeld.

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Bartfeld, S., Clevers, H. Stem cell-derived organoids and their application for medical research and patient treatment. J Mol Med 95, 729–738 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-017-1531-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-017-1531-7

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