Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 26, 2025
Study of Viral Vectors in a Three-dimensional Liver Model Repopulated with the Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Line HepG2
Published on: October 24, 2016
3D engineered tissue models for studying human-specific infectious viral diseases
Kyeong Seob Hwang1,2, Eun U Seo1,3, Nakwon Choi1,4
1Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Viral infections cause damage to various organ systems by inducing organ-specific symptoms or systemic multi-organ damage. Depending on the infection route and virus type, infectious diseases are classified as respiratory, nervous, immune, digestive, or skin infections. Since these infectious diseases can widely spread in the community and their catastrophic effects are severe, identification of their causative agent and mechanisms underlying their pathogenesis is an urgent necessity. Although infection-associated mechanisms have been studied in two-dimensional (2D) cell culture models and animal models, they have shown limitations in organ-specific or human-associated pathogenesis, and the development of a human-organ-mimetic system is required. Recently, three-dimensional (3D) engineered tissue models, which can present human organ-like physiology in terms of the 3D structure, utilization of human-originated cells, recapitulation of physiological stimuli, and tight cell-cell interactions, were developed. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that these models can recapitulate infection-associated pathologies. In this review, we summarized the recent advances in 3D engineered tissue models that mimic organ-specific viral infections. First, we briefly described the limitations of the current 2D and animal models in recapitulating human-specific viral infection pathology. Next, we provided an overview of recently reported viral infection models, focusing particularly on organ-specific infection pathologies. Finally, a future perspective that must be pursued to reconstitute more human-specific infectious diseases is presented.
Insights
Three-dimensional (3D) engineered tissue models offer a superior platform for studying viral infections compared to traditional 2D and animal models. These advanced models better recapitulate human organ physiology, aiding in understanding complex viral pathogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Infectious Diseases
- Pathogenesis Research
Background:
- Viral infections impact multiple organ systems, causing diverse pathologies.
- Current 2D cell cultures and animal models have limitations in replicating human-specific viral disease mechanisms.
- There is a critical need for advanced models that accurately mimic human organ responses to viral infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in three-dimensional (3D) engineered tissue models for studying organ-specific viral infections.
- To highlight the limitations of existing 2D and animal models in viral pathogenesis research.
- To present a future outlook on developing more human-specific infectious disease models.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent literature on 3D engineered tissue models for viral infection studies.
- Analysis of how these models recapitulate organ-specific viral pathologies.
- Discussion of the advantages of 3D models over traditional methods.
Main Results:
- 3D engineered tissue models demonstrate potential in mimicking human organ physiology and recapitulating viral infection pathologies.
- These models offer improved insights into organ-specific symptoms and systemic damage caused by viruses.
- Recent studies showcase the ability of 3D models to replicate infection-associated disease mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- 3D engineered tissue models represent a significant advancement in studying viral infections, offering better human-specific disease modeling.
- Further development is needed to fully reconstitute complex human infectious diseases in these advanced systems.
- These models are crucial for understanding viral pathogenesis and developing effective countermeasures.
