We highlight the disposition of various cell types to self-organize into complex organ-like structures without necessarily the support of any stromal cells, provided they are placed into permissive 3D culture conditions. The goal of generating organoids reproducibly and efficiently has been hampered by poor understanding of the exact nature of the intrinsic cell properties at the origin of organoid generation, and of the signaling pathways governing their differentiation. Using microtechnologies like microfluidics to engineer organoids would create opportunities for single-cell genomics and high-throughput functional genomics to exhaustively characterize cell intrinsic properties. A more complete understanding of the development of organoids would enhance their relevance as models to study organ morphology, function, and disease and would open new avenues in drug development and regenerative medicine.

我们着重介绍了各种细胞类型的配置，以自组织为复杂的器官样结构，而无需任何基质细胞的支持，只要将它们置于允许的3D培养条件下即可。对类器官起源的内在细胞特性的确切性质以及控制它们分化的信号传导途径的了解不足，阻碍了可重复和高效地产生类器官的目标。使用微流体学等微技术来工程化类器官将为单细胞基因组学和高通量功能基因组学详尽描述细胞内在特性创造机会。更深入地了解类器官的发育将增强它们作为研究器官形态，功能，