Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026
08:34
Bioprinting Cellularized Constructs Using a Tissue-specific Hydrogel Bioink
Published on: April 21, 2016
16.8K
The Bioengineering of Microspheric Skin Organoids and Their Application in Drug Screening
Jundong Xie1, Qingyang Yang1,2, Yanan Zhang1
1State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, and Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering (iBHE), Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
Summary
Researchers developed novel microspheric skin organoids using spinning bioreactors for effective high-throughput drug screening. These organoids mimic human skin's structure and can detect drug-induced signaling pathways.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Tissue Engineering
- Dermatology
Background:
- Developing functional human skin models for drug screening remains a significant challenge.
- Existing models often lack the complexity and physiological relevance of native skin.
- High-throughput screening requires reproducible and physiologically accurate in vitro models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel method for constructing microspheric skin organoids.
- To create a skin model suitable for high-throughput drug screening.
- To validate the model's ability to detect drug-induced signaling pathways.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of core-shell structured microspheric skin organoids using spinning bioreactors.
- Culturing human keratinocytes (epidermis) and human dermal fibroblasts with collagen (dermis).
- Incorporation of a luciferase reporter system for Wnt pathway activation detection.
Main Results:
- Successfully developed uniform microspheric skin organoids mimicking human skin's bilayered structure.
- Demonstrated epidermal growth and differentiation, forming a mature barrier.
- Identified Minoxidil as an inducer of the epidermal Wnt/beta-catenin pathway signaling.
Conclusions:
- A novel and efficient method for preparing microspheric skin organoids has been established.
- These organoids show significant potential for high-throughput drug testing and screening applications.
- The model provides a valuable platform for studying skin biology and drug responses.
