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Updated: Aug 15, 2025
Author Spotlight: Investigating Liver Cancer Pathogenesis Using Patient-Derived Organoids
Published on: August 18, 2023
Human liver cancer organoids: Biological applications, current challenges, and prospects in hepatoma therapy
Lichan Chen1, Xiafei Wei2, Dayong Gu1
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Inst Translat Med, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Abstract:
Liver cancer and disease are among the most socially challenging global health concerns. Although organ transplantation, surgical resection and anticancer drugs are the main methods for the treatment of liver cancer, there are still no proven cures owing to the lack of donor livers and tumor heterogeneity. Recently, advances in tumor organoid technology have attracted considerable attention as they can simulate the spatial constructs and pathophysiological characteristics of tumorigenesis and metastasis in a more realistic manner. Organoids may further contribute to the development of tailored therapies. Combining organoids with other emerging techniques, such as CRISPR-HOT, organ-on-a-chip, and 3D bioprinting, may further develop organoids and address their bottlenecks to create more practical models that generalize different tissue or organ interactions in tumor progression. In this review, we summarize the various methods in which liver organoids may be generated and describe their biological and clinical applications, present challenges, and prospects for their integration with emerging technologies. These rapidly developing liver organoids may become the focus of in vitro clinical model development and therapeutic research for liver diseases in the near future.
Insights
Liver organoids offer a realistic in vitro model for studying liver cancer and disease, overcoming limitations of current treatments. These advanced models show promise for developing personalized therapies and improving patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Regenerative Medicine
- Oncology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Liver cancer and disease pose significant global health challenges.
- Current treatments like transplantation and chemotherapy have limitations due to donor scarcity and tumor heterogeneity.
- Tumor organoid technology presents a promising avenue for more realistic disease modeling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the generation methods of liver organoids.
- To describe the biological and clinical applications of liver organoids.
- To discuss the integration of liver organoids with emerging technologies for improved disease modeling.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on liver organoid generation.
- Analysis of organoid applications in understanding liver tumorigenesis and metastasis.
- Exploration of synergistic potential with technologies like CRISPR-HOT, organ-on-a-chip, and 3D bioprinting.
Main Results:
- Liver organoids accurately mimic the spatial and pathophysiological features of liver tumors.
- Organoids facilitate the study of tumor heterogeneity and metastasis.
- Integration with other technologies can address current organoid limitations.
Conclusions:
- Liver organoids are valuable tools for in vitro research in liver cancer and disease.
- They hold potential for developing tailored therapies and personalized medicine.
- Further integration with advanced technologies will enhance their clinical utility.
