Researchers are working on a new technique to control organoid growth that combines hydrogels with stem cell-derived organoids. The goal is to someday create organoids that can be used in the clinic for treatment of wounds in the gut caused by disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Unlike past methods used for growing organoids, this method does not require an animal-derived tumor cell line to be the source of the matrix. With no animal source, the possibility for zoonotic infections is eliminated, which the authors argue give it an advantage for clinical applications. The hydrogel also can act as a glue that holds the organoids in place, contributing to wound healing.
To demonstrate its application, the researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan performed tests on immune compromised mice. Using a miniature colonoscope, the hydrogel and organoids were delivered into wounds created in the mice’s intestines. After four weeks, the organoids had completely engrafted to the area. The hydrogel had disappeared and was replaced by a natural extracellular matrix produced by the cells.
The researchers note that the hydrogel matrix parameters can easily be modified which could make it useful for a variety of cell types. In the future, they plan to test the matrix in animals with normal immune systems and in models of IBD as well as in non-intestinal disease states, such as kidney and lung damage.
The study was published yesterday in the Nature Cell Biology.
Image: Human intestinal organoids (HIOs) generated in the hydrogel matrix differentiate into mature intestinal tissue and present specialized human intestinal cell types, such as enteroendocrine cells (CHGA; red), after transplantation into an animal. Image courtesy of Ricardo Cruz-Acuña, Georgia Tech.