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Updated: Sep 18, 2025
A Human Bone Marrow 3D Model to Investigate the Dynamics and Interactions Between Resident Cells in Physiological or Tumoral Contexts
Published on: December 16, 2022
Human bone marrow organoids: emerging progress but persisting challenges.
1Cell, Tissue & Organ Engineering Laboratory, BMC B11, 22184, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, Lund Stem Cell Centre, Lund University, Lund University Cancer Centre, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Engineering human bone marrow organoids (BMOs) remains challenging. Current BMO-like systems model fetal hematopoiesis but may not reliably represent adult bone marrow processes, highlighting a need for improved engineering strategies.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Developmental Biology
- Hematology
Background:
- Organoid systems offer miniaturized in vitro models for studying biological processes.
- Engineering human bone marrow organoids (BMOs) is a significant challenge in regenerative medicine and disease modeling.
- Recent advancements have introduced BMO-like systems derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the challenge of engineering reliable human bone marrow organoids (BMOs).
- To evaluate the utility of current BMO-like systems in modeling human hematopoiesis.
- To identify limitations and future directions for developing accurate adult BMO models.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for mesodermal induction.
- Establishing mesenchymal-vascular-hematopoietic tissues in vitro.
- Analyzing the compositional and functional features of engineered tissues.
Main Results:
- Current BMO-like systems successfully model fetal hematopoiesis and associated niche elements.
- Concerns exist regarding the reliability of these systems for modeling adult bone marrow processes.
- The complexity of blood ontogeny poses challenges for developing relevant BMO systems.
Conclusions:
- Existing BMO-like systems show promise but require further refinement for adult applications.
- Developing robust human BMOs is crucial for advancing the study of hematopoiesis and bone marrow diseases.
- Further research into engineering modalities is needed to overcome current limitations.
