Organoids in parasitology: a game-changer for studying host-nematode interactions

Gastrointestinal (GI) nematode infections represent a significant health burden globally, affecting both humans and livestock. Traditional in vitro models to study host-parasite interactions, such as immortalized cell lines, have limitations that hinder the full understanding of these complex relationships. Organoid technology has emerged as a promising alternative, offering a physiologically relevant platform to study host-nematode interactions in vitro. Organoids are three-dimensional structures comprising differentiated cell types that recapitulate features of the corresponding organ. Technological advances for growing, maintaining and manipulating organoids have increased their applications to model infections, inflammation and cancer. This review discusses recent work using GI organoids to advance understanding of nematode-host interactions and modulation of GI epithelial cells. Additionally, we review studies that co-cultured GI organoids with innate lymphoid cells to study epithelial-immune cell cross-talk in the context of nematode infection. By bridging the gap between reductionist cell culture systems and whole-organism studies, organoids offer a powerful platform for investigating complex host-nematode interactions, and for developing and screening novel therapeutics.