BioPharma Encapsulated – Unveiling Spoke 4

Organoids, how mini-organs support research

Researchers can transform cells from patients into three-dimensional cell cultures called organoids. Derived from pluripotent stem cells these mini organs can mimic the structure and function of any cell or tissue of the human body. Researchers use organoids in the laboratory to understand diseases’ mechanisms and test new drugs. For example, to study cardiomyopathies, we build mini-hearts, which look like small spheres that contract and show arrhythmias to test possible therapies. The benefits of using organoids are that they allow researchers to use classic medicines, genetic modification, and RNA medicines.

Led by the University of Padua, Spoke 4 affiliates include Humanitas University, Ri.MED Foundation, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, University of Bari Aldo Moro, University of Milan, University of Naples Federico II (UNINA), University of Pavia (UNIPV), University of Salerno (UNISA), University of Trieste (UNITS), AstraZeneca, and Stevanato Group.

Foundation staff writer Ellen Jane Corcoran