TY - JOUR
KW - Pathogens
KW - Stem-cell biotechnology
AU - Kuan Liu
AU - Yilan Zhao
AU - Erika M. Joloya
AU - Benedetta Artegiani
AU - Sina Bartfeld
AU - Young Ki Choi
AU - Yuling Han
AU - Delilah Hendriks
AU - Martin J. Hoogduijn
AU - James E. Hudson
AU - Luc J. W. van der Laan
AU - Cun Li
AU - Valeria V. Orlova
AU - Jianhua Qin
AU - Karine Raymond
AU - Lisa E. Wagar
AU - Jie Zhou
AU - Mart M. Lamers
AU - Qiuwei Pan
AB - Endemic and emerging infectious diseases pose major public health, economic and societal challenges. To advance our understanding of infectious disease pathophysiology and develop effective interventions, experimental models are required that closely mimic human biology. In particular, organoid platforms have begun to address key limitations of 2D cell line cultures and animal models in infectious disease research. In this Review, we explore the diverse applications of human organoids in investigating organ-specific infections and disease manifestations across major physiological systems, including the respiratory, digestive, nervous, cardiovascular, integumentary, urinary, reproductive and lymphatic systems, with a primary emphasis on viral pathogens. We further discuss the importance of immune-competent and vascularized organoids for modelling complex host–pathogen interactions, and we examine organoid-on-a-chip platforms as tools to investigate dynamic processes and inter-organ mechanisms. In addition, we outline how organoid technologies can support vaccine and therapeutic development, enable the study of zoonotic transmission and contribute to pandemic preparedness. Finally, we underscore key priorities for the field, including enhancing tissue-like complexity and maturity, improving standardization, and increasing the scalability and throughput of organoid models.
BT - Nature Reviews Bioengineering
DA - 2026-05-11
DO - 10.1038/s44222-026-00445-3
LA - en
N2 - Endemic and emerging infectious diseases pose major public health, economic and societal challenges. To advance our understanding of infectious disease pathophysiology and develop effective interventions, experimental models are required that closely mimic human biology. In particular, organoid platforms have begun to address key limitations of 2D cell line cultures and animal models in infectious disease research. In this Review, we explore the diverse applications of human organoids in investigating organ-specific infections and disease manifestations across major physiological systems, including the respiratory, digestive, nervous, cardiovascular, integumentary, urinary, reproductive and lymphatic systems, with a primary emphasis on viral pathogens. We further discuss the importance of immune-competent and vascularized organoids for modelling complex host–pathogen interactions, and we examine organoid-on-a-chip platforms as tools to investigate dynamic processes and inter-organ mechanisms. In addition, we outline how organoid technologies can support vaccine and therapeutic development, enable the study of zoonotic transmission and contribute to pandemic preparedness. Finally, we underscore key priorities for the field, including enhancing tissue-like complexity and maturity, improving standardization, and increasing the scalability and throughput of organoid models.
PY - 2026
SP - 1
EP - 20
T2 - Nature Reviews Bioengineering
TI - Organoids as platforms for infectious disease research
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s44222-026-00445-3
Y2 - 2026-05-18
SN - 2731-6092
ER -