Abstract
ABSTRACTFor hundreds of years, biologists have studied accessible organisms such as garden peas, sea urchins collected at low tide, newt eggs, and flies circling rotten fruit. These organisms help us to understand the world around us, attracting and inspiring each new generation of biologists with the promise of mystery and discovery. Time and time again, what we learn from such simple organisms has emphasized our common biological origins by proving to be applicable to more complex organisms, including humans. Yet, biologists are increasingly being tasked with developing applications from the known, rather than being allowed to follow a path to discovery of the as yet unknown. Here, we provide examples of important lessons learned from research using selected non-vertebrate organisms. We argue that, for the purpose of understanding human disease, simple organisms cannot and should not be replaced solely by human cell-based culture systems. Rather, these organisms serve as powerful discovery tools for new knowledge that could subsequently be tested for conservation in human cell-based culture systems. In this way, curiosity-driven biological research in simple organisms has and will continue to pay huge dividends in both the short and long run for improving the human condition.
Highlights
The emphases and directions of medical practice are influenced by scientific evidence and by factors such as financial interests and societal trends
Three-dimensional (3D) cell-culture model systems, such as organoids derived from human stem cells, have been much-heralded because they are the only human-cell-based model system to recapitulate the cellular complexity of tissues (Huch et al, 2017)
Lab-grown organoids should be useful for toxicity testing and for the generation of tissues for biobanks, but experts doubt that they will replace animal models as discovery tools (Bredenoord et al, 2017)
Summary
The emphases and directions of medical practice are influenced by scientific evidence and by factors such as financial interests and societal trends. We highlight the continuing value of curiosity-driven research, with a focus on widely used non-vertebrate experimental organisms These are often referred to as ‘model organisms’ (Box 1) to highlight their utility in discovering and understanding fundamental biological principles that apply to other organisms, humans, and to mechanisms of disease. Combining molecular biology and genetics in yeast, and with contributions from other model organisms (e.g. sea urchins; see below), the roles of the different CDC gene products were discovered. These advances came with the realization that the genes that control the cell cycle are largely conserved from yeast to human Yeast studies provided an entrée into a new area of cell biology (Table 1)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
