Karen Kreeger talks to IRM Director, Ken Zaret, and other IRM faculty in her recent article, “Mini-organs: Next-Gen Lab Model, not the Child of Frankenstein“, which discusses organoids (miniature organs) and how scientists are using them to study diseases and evaluate treatments.
“As more organoid-based studies in tissues from the neck to the mid-section of the human body take shape, Penn researchers could soon create their own map of how this technology is changing our understanding of chronic and deadly conditions. In addition to the brain, researchers across Penn Medicine – often in collaboration with colleagues at Penn Vet and other Penn schools – are using mini-organs to evaluate treatment options and drug development for diseases in nearly every system of the body, including esophageal cancer, oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas, and lung diseases, as well as a rare disease called dyskeratosis congenita, which causes stem cells to fail, leading to a host of serious conditions, including acute intestinal inflammation.”
Read the full article here: https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-blog/2018/october/mini-organs-next-gen-lab-model-not-the-child-of-frankenstein.