Figure 2

Current organoid culture techniques. Organoids can be derived from tissue samples containing adult stem cells (ASCs). Here, intestinal crypts are shown as example, but methods for other tissues (see main text) are similar. Organoids can also be derived from embryonic stem cells (ESCs), or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Under appropriate conditions, using various growth factors and an extracellular matrix, such as matrigel (MG), the stem cells can proliferate while their daughter cells can differentiate to multiple cell types that self-organize into functional three dimensional (3D) structures. Different tissues require different (combinations of) growth factors. The 3D organoids can be dissociated, and plated onto membrane supports coated with MG or collagen, to form 2D monolayer organoid models. This is particularly useful of intestinal organoids as it allows access to the apical side, for instance to study interaction with microbes, or transport of nutrients.