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Updated: Oct 17, 2025
Author Spotlight: Enhanced Generation of Patient-Derived 3D Organoids for Glioblastoma and Glioma
Published on: January 19, 2024
Opportunities and challenges of glioma organoids
Xiangdong Xu1, Lingfei Li2, Linting Luo3
1The National Key Clinical Specialty, The Engineering Technology Research Center of Education Ministry of China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory On Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Department of Neurosurgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510282, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Glioma is the most common primary brain tumor and its prognosis is poor. Despite surgical removal, glioma is still prone to recurrence because it grows rapidly in the brain, is resistant to chemotherapy, and is highly aggressive. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a platform to study the cell dynamics of gliomas in order to discover the characteristics of the disease and develop more effective treatments. Although 2D cell models and animal models in previous studies have provided great help for our research, they also have many defects. Recently, scientific researchers have constructed a 3D structure called Organoids, which is similar to the structure of human tissues and organs. Organoids can perfectly compensate for the shortcomings of previous glioma models and are currently the most suitable research platform for glioma research. Therefore, we review the three methods currently used to establish glioma organoids. And introduced how they play a role in the diagnosis and treatment of glioma. Finally, we also summarized the current bottlenecks and difficulties encountered by glioma organoids, and the current efforts to solve these difficulties. Video Abstract.
Insights
Glioma organoids offer a superior 3D model for studying brain tumor cell dynamics. This review covers their establishment, diagnostic/therapeutic roles, and current research challenges.
Area of Science:
- Neuro-oncology
- 3D cell culture technology
- Biomedical research
Background:
- Glioma, a common primary brain tumor, has a poor prognosis due to rapid recurrence, resistance to chemotherapy, and high aggressiveness.
- Existing 2D cell and animal models have limitations in accurately reflecting glioma's complex biology.
- There is a critical need for advanced research platforms to understand glioma cell dynamics and develop effective treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current methods for establishing glioma organoids.
- To introduce the role of glioma organoids in the diagnosis and treatment of glioma.
- To summarize existing challenges and ongoing efforts in glioma organoid research.
Main Methods:
- Review of established protocols for generating three-dimensional glioma organoids.
- Analysis of literature detailing the application of glioma organoids in preclinical research.
- Synthesis of information on current limitations and future directions in the field.
Main Results:
- Organoids provide a more accurate 3D model that compensates for the shortcomings of traditional 2D and animal models.
- Glioma organoids are instrumental in understanding disease characteristics and developing novel therapeutic strategies.
- The review outlines three primary methods for glioma organoid construction and their clinical relevance.
Conclusions:
- Glioma organoids represent the most suitable current research platform for advancing glioma studies.
- Further research is needed to overcome existing bottlenecks in establishing and utilizing glioma organoids.
- Continued development of organoid technology will significantly impact glioma diagnosis and treatment.
