Approaches to benchmark and characterize in vitro human model systems

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology
• Stem Cell Biology
• Genomics

Background:

• In vitro human models like gastruloids and organoids are complex 3D structures mimicking embryonic development and organogenesis.
• Accurate recapitulation of in vivo development is essential for utilizing these models to study human development and organ formation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss the current state of in vitro model systems, specifically gastruloids and organoids.
• To highlight the role of single-cell technologies and atlases in understanding and improving these models.
• To explore how publicly available human developmental atlases can enhance the accuracy of organoids.

Main Methods:

• Leveraging single-cell sequencing and spatial technologies to analyze and compare in vitro models with native human tissues.
• Utilizing single-cell genomic efforts to create comprehensive cell and organ atlases.
• Benchmarking in vitro models against established atlases to assess their developmental fidelity.

Main Results:

• Single-cell atlases provide a framework for evaluating the accuracy of gastruloids and organoids.
• These atlases enable the identification of discrepancies between in vitro models and in vivo development.
• Data from atlases can guide the refinement of in vitro systems for better recapitulation of human development.

Conclusions:

• Advances in single-cell technologies are crucial for the development and validation of human in vitro models.
• Publicly available atlases are powerful tools for improving the biological relevance of organoids and gastruloids.
• Future efforts should focus on integrating multi-omic and spatial data to further enhance these models.