Structuring Human Intestinal Organoids

Organoids are millimeter-scale tissues that replicate the structure and function of naturally formed organs. These tissues are grown in the lab through the directed differentiation of stem cells and have potential uses in biotechnology. Human intestinal organoids (HIO's) serve as a model system for the small intestine and offer potential in regenerative medicine, drug formulation testing, and microbiome research. HIO's are roughly spherical in shape, with an inner volume of aqueous liquid enclosed by a tissue shell. This closed structure is adequate for short-term experiments, but lack of advective transport through the intraluminal space leads to buildup of waste and cellular debris and precludes the use of organoids for experiments lasting longer than several weeks. Here we describe the use of fluidic techniques to structure the HIO in such a way as to facilitate advective transport, thus extending the time over which HIO are viable. Our results could enable the use of HIO's for long-term experimentation.