Mini-organs and early embryos in vitro: what is at stake?

Organoids and embryoids are self-organizing 3D cellular models derived from human pluripotent stem cells or dissociated stem cells from primary tissue, able of partially mimicking the development and function of tissues, organs, or embryos in vitro. Research using these models is advancing rapidly, starting to overcome challenges in studying human development, evolution, and disease. The conference from the French Académie des Sciences "Mini-organs and early embryos in vitro: what is at stake?" illustrated the promise of organoids and embryoids in basic and translational research. The lectures emphasized recent biomedical applications, particularly in disease modeling, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine. Current challenges and future directions have also been discussed alongside with the ethical implications of generating functional structures from human cells in vitro.