Vascularized Organoids: Next-Generation Research and Therapy

In this episode we discuss a breakthrough in organoid research by Stanford Medicine scientists, who successfully created heart and liver organoids with their own functional blood vessel systems. Traditionally, organoids have been limited in size due to their inability to receive oxygen and nutrients, but this new development allows for larger, more mature organoids that better mimic human organs. These vascularized organoids hold significant promise for advancing research into human development and disease, as well as paving the way for future regenerative therapies, such as implantable tissue grown from a patient's own stem cells. The research involved optimizing chemical "recipes" to reliably produce the necessary cell types for blood vessel formation, demonstrating a successful method that could be applied to other organoid types.