Development of Organoids to Study Infectious Host Interactions

Area of Science:

• * Organoid technology and infectious disease research.

Background:

• * Organoid research offers novel models for studying human physiology and disease.
• * Infectious disease studies require robust in vitro systems to understand pathogen interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To describe a straightforward method for generating human small intestine and lung organoids.
• * To establish a protocol for infecting these organoids with pathogens.
• * To facilitate in vitro studies on pathogen invasion and dissemination, specifically for Borrelia.

Main Methods:

• * Generation of stem-cell derived organoids representing human small intestine and lung.
• * Infection of these organoids using a mock pathogen, Cryptosporidium parvum.
• * Adaptation of organoids for imaging and molecular biological analyses.

Main Results:

• * Successful generation of functional human small intestine and lung organoids.
• * Demonstrated feasibility of infecting organoids with a model pathogen.
• * Established organoid systems suitable for advanced biological analysis.

Conclusions:

• * The described organoid generation and infection technique is simple and routine.
• * These organoid models provide a valuable platform for in vitro infectious disease research.
• * Enables detailed studies on pathogen interactions, such as Borrelia cell invasion.