Bioreactor can grow mini-organs faster and cheaper
Scientists have developed a bioreactor to efficiently grow human mini-organs. Kerstin Schneeberger, assistant professor at Utrecht University: “We can create mini-organs from various tissues, including liver, pancreas, and intestine. With our RPMotion bioreactor, this can be done quickly and cost-effectively.” The research was published today in Cell Reports Methods.
Scientists use mini-organs, also known as organoids, on a large scale. Schneeberger: “Organoids can help us in countless ways with the development and implementation of customized treatments.”
The current method of growing organoids, with hydrogel droplets in culture plates, is labor-intensive and expensive. There are innovative methods, but they are not optimized for the cultivation of organoids or are only suitable for large-scale production and are therefore often too expensive for scientific research. Schneeberger: “The smaller RPMotion bioreactor is very promising. With it, we can grow organoids in less time, with less labor, and at lower costs.”
What are organoids?
Organoids are smaller and simplified versions of organs grown outside the body. Even though they are much smaller than real organs, they mimic them quite well. They are revolutionary for science and healthcare: they push the boundaries of personalized treatments.
Liver, intestinal, and pancreatic organoids grow faster
The researchers have finalized the machine settings and work protocols for growing organoids from the liver, intestine, and pancreas. Organoids from all these organs grew faster in the bioreactor compared to the current method. They confirmed that the bioreactor is suitable for growing mini-organs directly from biopsies and for long-term cultivation of organoids.
This research was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Eindhoven, Leiden, Rotterdam, and Utrecht (UMC Utrecht and Hubrecht Institute).