Exploring the potential of organoids in advancing disease modeling for viral diseases
Creators: name: Hu, Xiaopeng
name: Zhou, Lijuan
name: Wang, Xiaoyu
name: Jiang, Junjun
name: An, Sanqi
name: Ye, Li
name: Liang, Hao
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Ecology
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Cancer
subject: Mental Health
subject: Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences
subject: Virology

description: Organoids have emerged as a valuable tool for studying infectious viral diseases. During the outbreak of COVID-19, dozens of studies have underscored the potential of organoid technology in advancing our understanding of viral diseases and developing treatments. To guide the applications of organoids in infectious viral diseases in the future, a thorough examination of research outcomes regarding the mechanisms and dynamic features of viral infection in organoids is important. Organoids offer a distinct avenue for understanding the interactions between hosts and viruses within diverse organ systems, including the respiratory, gastrointestinal, central nervous and genitourinary tracts. Furthermore, this review explores the potential applications of organoid technology in modeling viral disease pathogenesis, host responses and various disease characteristics, thereby facilitating the development of preventive and therapeutic interventions. Infectious viral diseases like COVID-19 are dangerous to global health and economies. To better understand these diseases, scientists have developed organoids. Organoids are small structures that resemble human organs but are entirely artificial. Scientists can use organoids to learn about how a virus can infect an organ and how this could be stopped using treatment. Organoids have been used to learn about Zika, COVID-19, influenza and HIV/AIDS viruses, helping us understand how they behave in different systems in the body. Organoids are a useful tool for learning about viral diseases and developing strategies aimed at their prevention and treatment. Organoids provide a more physiologically relevant and dynamic system for studying host-virus interactions. They mimic the structure and function of <i>in vivo</i> organs, maintain genetic and phenotypic stability and can be generated from patient-derived cells, enabling personalized medicine approaches. Organoids have limitations, including the lack of immune cells, differences in cellular composition and function compared with <i>in vivo</i> organs and difficulties in generation and reproducibility. Respiratory organoids have been widely used in the study of various respiratory viruses, including IAV, RSV and SARS-CoV-2, providing important tools for understanding the pathogenesis of these viruses and developing antiviral drugs and vaccines. Respiratory organoids were used to study the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and its host, revealing the virus's mode of cell entry, characteristics of viral replication and host immune responses. Researchers identified multiple potential drug targets and tested the antiviral efficacy of existing drugs. Gastrointestinal organoids have been extensively applied in studying various viruses that can cause gastrointestinal infections, such as KSHV, hepatitis viruses, rotavirus and SARS-CoV-2. These organoids are capable of mimicking epithelial and mesenchymal cell types in the GI tract, providing an important tool for investigating viral replication characteristics and host immune responses. These organoids have facilitated the development of antiviral drugs. Neuronal organoids, constructed using neural progenitor or pluripotent stem cells, are valuable tools for studying neurotropic viruses and other pathogens that affect the nervous system, replicating the complex structure and function of the brain and nervous system. Cerebral organoids have been used to study infections by pathogens such as Chikungunya virus, HIV, various prions, SARS-CoV-2, HSV-1 and Zika virus, providing insights into disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic interventions, including the neuroprotective effects of certain compounds against specific infections. Genital organoids are capable of mimicking cellular and molecular events in the reproductive system, providing valuable models for investigating viral infection mechanisms, including SARS-CoV-2 and HCMV. Urinary organoids, derived from bladder and kidney tissues, have been employed to study urinary infections caused by SARS-CoV-2, as well as for drug screening. The use of human primary keratinocyte-derived epithelial organoids and other types of organoids in studying the immune response against viral infections, such as HPV and HIV, as well as HSV-1 infection in human brain organoids, has provided insights into the mechanisms of viral elimination. Organoids provide a unique platform for studying emerging and globally prevalent highly infectious viral diseases, allowing researchers to investigate virus-host interactions, uncover infection mechanisms, identify therapeutic targets and evaluate drug and vaccine efficacy. In the next 5–10 years, with the continuous advancement of organoid culture techniques and the integration of new technologies such as microfluidics and organ-on-a-chip devices, significant progress is expected in the application of organoid technology in viral disease research. It is anticipated to become a powerful platform for studying virus-host interactions, disease pathogenesis, drug screening and personalized medicine approaches.