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Prenatal organoids for personalised medicine
Rodolphe Matias de Sousa1, Michela Marinaro2, Giorgia D'Ariano3
1Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Section, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK; Department of Development and Regeneration, Woman and Child and UZ Leuven Clinical Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
Prenatal organoids, derived from stem cells, offer a powerful tool for personalized fetal medicine. They enable better disease modeling, drug testing, and therapeutic development for conditions affecting unborn babies.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Developmental Biology
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Organoids are 3D stem cell-derived structures mimicking organ microarchitecture.
- Organoid technology has expanded from initial intestinal models to various human tissues.
- Personalized medicine aims to tailor treatments to individual patients, a concept now extending to fetal medicine.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review fetal diseases studied using organoids.
- To explore the implications of using prenatal sources like amniotic fluid for organoid derivation.
- To discuss the potential of prenatal organoids in personalized fetal medicine.
Main Methods:
- Organoids are generated from adult stem cells, fetal stem cells, pluripotent stem cells, and cancer samples.
- Prenatal organoids are derived from sources such as amniotic fluid.
- Review of existing literature on organoid applications in fetal medicine.
Main Results:
- Organoids recapitulate patient-specific disease mechanisms.
- Prenatal organoids bridge in vitro research and personalized fetal medicine.
- Organoids show potential for prenatal counseling, diagnosis, and therapy.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal organoids represent a significant advancement for personalized fetal medicine.
- They offer advantages in disease modeling, drug testing, and regenerative therapy for fetal conditions.
- Further research and application of organoids can revolutionize prenatal care and treatment.
