Human organoid models to study SARS-CoV-2 infection

• Published in: Nature methods Vol. 19; no. 4; pp. 418 - 428
• Main Authors: Han, Yuling, Yang, Liuliu, Lacko, Lauretta A., Chen, Shuibing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01-04-2022; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/326/596/4130; 631/532/2064; Adult; Bioinformatics; Biological Microscopy; Biological Techniques; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedical Engineering/Biotechnology; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Damage; Humans; Immune system; Life Sciences; Medical research; Organoids; Organs; Pandemics; Perspective; Pluripotency; Pluripotent Stem Cells; Proteomics; Respiratory diseases; Respiratory tract; Respiratory tract diseases; Reviews; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Stem cells; Tropism; Vaccine development; Viral diseases
• ISSN: 1548-7091; 1548-7105
• DOI: 10.1038/s41592-022-01453-y

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is one of the deadliest pandemics in history. SARS-CoV-2 not only infects the respiratory tract, but also causes damage to many organs. Organoids, which can self-renew and recapitulate the various physiology of different organs, serve as powerful platforms to model COVID-19. In this Perspective, we overview the current effort to apply both human pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids and adult organoids to study SARS-CoV-2 tropism, host response and immune cell-mediated host damage, and perform drug discovery and vaccine development. We summarize the technologies used in organoid-based COVID-19 research, discuss the remaining challenges and provide future perspectives in the application of organoid models to study SARS-CoV-2 and future emerging viruses.
This Perspective discusses the use of organoid technology, its current limitations and unmet needs in the context of SARS-CoV-2 research.