Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 17, 2026

Human Ovarian Surface Epithelium Organoids as a Platform to Study Tissue Regeneration
Published on: August 16, 2024
Female Reproductive System Assembloids in Health and Disease
Mete Hakan Karalök1, Burcu Biltekin2, Turgay Barut3
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Atlas University, Istanbul 34408, Türkiye.
Abstract:
In just over a decade, in vitro modeling of the female reproductive tract has advanced from planar monolayers of immortalized cells to self-organizing epithelial organoids and, most recently, to increasingly complex multicellular and multicompartment 3D models, including assembloids that combine organoids with additional organoid modules or specialized cell lineages and demonstrate post-assembly integration and self-organization. This review concentrates deliberately on organoid, assembloid, and related multicellular 3D models rather than on reproductive physiology per se. We first establish a criterion-based framework that distinguishes organoids, assembloids, co-cultures, organ-on-chip systems, and blastoids according to assembly strategy, cellular composition, and evidence of structural and functional integration, and trace the rapid consolidation of the assembloid concept from neuroscience into reproductive biology. We then survey, organ-by-organ and with a critical eye, what these models have demonstrated in the endometrium, the ovary and follicle, the fallopian tube, and the embryo-maternal interface, together with the enabling technologies (including microfluidics, vascularization strategies, biomaterials and bioprinting, and single-cell and spatial benchmarking) and the limitations that still constrain the field. We close with emerging translational opportunities in disease modeling, drug and toxicology screening, and personalized reproductive medicine, while highlighting the requirements for physiological validation, reproducibility, standardization, and appropriate ethical and regulatory oversight.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of the Reproductive System
The gonads, or primary reproductive organs, produce gametes and sex hormones. In males, the testes produce spermatozoa and testosterone, which is responsible for developing secondary male sex characteristics, including a deeper voice, larger muscles, facial and body...
Oogenesis
Oogenesis
Each primary oocyte is surrounded by a layer of pre-granulosa cells, forming what is known...
Development of the Sexual Organs in the Embryo and Fetus
Near the gonadal ridges, two duct systems are present: the mesonephric ducts (Wolffian ducts) and paramesonephric ducts (Müllerian ducts). These ducts form the basis for the male...
Disorders of the Female Reproductive System
Nondisjunction

