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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Formation of Human Thymus Organoids in Three-Dimensional Fibrin Hydrogels
Published on: October 4, 2024
Thymus organogenesis and development of the thymic stroma
Craig S Nowell1, Alison M Farley, C Clare Blackburn
1Institute for Stem Cell Research, University of Edinburgh, UK.
Abstract:
T-cell development occurs principally in the thymus. Here, immature progenitor cells are guided through the differentiation and selection steps required to generate a complex T-cell repertoire that is both self-tolerant and has propensity to bind self major histocompatibility complex. These processes depend on an array of functionally distinct epithelial cell types within the thymic stroma, which have a common developmental origin in the pharyngeal endoderm. Here, we describe the structural and phenotypic attributes of the thymic stroma, and review current cellular and molecular understanding of thymus organogenesis.
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