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Applications in osteochondral organoids for osteoarthritis research: from pathomimetic modeling to tissue engineering
Yingguang Jiao1,2, Shanyu Lu1,2, Jianwei Zhang2
1College of Medical Imaging, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
Abstract:
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disorder characterized by complex tissue interactions, featuring cartilage degradation, synovitis, and aberrant subchondral bone remodeling. Current therapies often fail to halt disease progression and typically lack comprehensive strategies targeting OA pathogenesis. Osteochondral organoids have recently emerged as innovative 3D biological models for investigating OA mechanisms and developing personalized therapies. These models recapitulate dynamic cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions within the articular microenvironment. This review evaluates progress in applying osteochondral organoids to osteoarthritis, focusing on their fabrication strategies, applications, and key challenges. It emphasizes their role in osteoarthritis modeling, drug screening, and cartilage regeneration, while exploring future directions for their development. Despite these advances, clinical translation of osteochondral organoids faces significant challenges, including standardization, vascularization, and immunomodulation. Future integration with organ-on-chip platforms, multi-omics, and AI promises to create more precise OA research models. Such integration will bridge the gap between bench research and clinical practice.
Insights
Osteochondral organoids offer advanced 3D models for studying osteoarthritis (OA) mechanisms and developing personalized treatments. These innovative models aid in drug screening and cartilage regeneration, addressing limitations of current OA therapies.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
- Orthopedics
Background:
- Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease with complex tissue interactions, lacking effective disease-modifying therapies.
- Current treatments often fail to halt OA progression, necessitating novel research models.
- Osteochondral organoids represent promising 3D biological models for understanding OA pathogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the progress of osteochondral organoids in osteoarthritis research.
- To evaluate their applications in OA modeling, drug screening, and cartilage regeneration.
- To identify challenges and future directions for clinical translation.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication strategies for osteochondral organoids.
- Assessment of their utility in recapitulating the articular microenvironment.
- Analysis of their role in disease modeling and therapeutic development.
Main Results:
- Osteochondral organoids effectively model cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in OA.
- These models show potential for drug screening and cartilage repair strategies.
- Key challenges include standardization, vascularization, and immunomodulation for clinical use.
Conclusions:
- Osteochondral organoids are valuable tools for advancing OA research and personalized medicine.
- Overcoming challenges in standardization and integration with new technologies is crucial for clinical translation.
- Future integration with organ-on-chip, multi-omics, and AI will enhance OA research precision.
