Disease modeling in organoid cultures: a new tool for studying viruses

Abstract

In vitro experiments have been widely used for more than a century to elucidate molecular mechanisms in cells and pathogen-host interactions, as well as for drug screening. Cell lines have been modified to reflect researchers’ specific purposes, and in vitro experiments have become fundamental for biological studies, with an ability to replace in vivo experiments. However, immortalized cell lines and cancer-derived cell lines have the limitation of losing their inherent properties, potentially resulting in changes in signaling pathways and cell metabolism. These limitations have made it necessary for researchers to find a novel way to overcome the limitations of cell lines. In recent years, organoids, which are 3-dimensional multicellular in vitro tissue constructs that fundamentally imitate in vivo organs, have been developed as alternative systems to study various aspects of organs. Herein, we review recent studies on the application of organoids in disease modeling, with a focus on intestine, lung, and tonsil organoids. These 3 organoids have been of utmost interest to researchers since their initial development. Most importantly, organoids are novel experimental models that can simulate in vivo organs and can therefore replace or support existing in vitro and in vivo models.