For Patients
What are organoids?
Organoids are miniature 3D versions of a patient’s organs. Organoids originate as human stem cells, which multiply indefinitely and produce a variety of cell types.
The organoids are an unlimited resource for research, since multiple samples can be created from each tissue sample and frozen for long term storage. When required, it can be thawed, expanded, and used for research.
For what we use organoids?
The organoid samples stored in our bank can be used by researchers as a tool in various fields. These tiny, personalized models help researchers study diseases and test which drugs are most effective for individual patients.
Depending on the complexity of the experiment, scientists will have enough cells for their research either within weeks or within a month or two – dramatically shortening the wait-time for drug trials, an obvious benefit for patients who suffer from critical rapidly progressive diseases.
The use of organoids to help understand pathophysiology and identify effective treatments is especially significant for diseases that do not have many treatment options.
Organoids can be grown from tumors and used to study the genes, proteins, and pathways leading to cancer, including metastasis. This information can be used to select the most effective drug for the patient, thereby advancing personalized medicine.
Organoids can also be used for high-throughput screening (HTS), a drug discovery process. The knowledge obtained is essential for advancing the discovery of drugs designed to halt tumor growth and metastasis, diminish drug resistance, and protect organs against cancer.
Finally, organoids empower researchers to explore rare genetic diseases that do not attract the attention of large global pharmaceutical companies and are difficult to study.
