Stem Cell and Organoid Research: Applications and Methods

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editors

Amanda Andersson-Rolf

Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research

Amanda Andersson-Rolf studied medical biotechnology at the Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden) as an undergraduate. She then moved to the UK, where she received her PhD from Cambridge University (the Department of Genetics, at the Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, UK). Her thesis work in the group of Dr. Bon-Kyoung Koo focused on the development of CRISPR-based gene editing methods and their application in 2D and 3D stem cell cultures. Amanda then joined the lab of Prof. Hans Clevers as a postdoctoral researcher at the Hubrecht Institute of Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research (Utrecht, Netherlands). Her current research focuses on adult stem cells of the gastrointestinal tract.

Helmuth Gehart

ETH Zürich Institute of Molecular Health Sciences

Helmuth Gehart is Assistant Professor for Tumor and Stem Cell Dynamics at ETH Zurich. Helmuth was born in Vienna, Austria and was, from an early age, fascinated with the complex machinery that is our body. Therefore, he studied molecular biology at the University of Vienna. Subsequently, he moved to Switzerland, where he received his PhD from ETH Zurich. During his PhD training with Romeo Ricci, Helmuth studied the mechanisms behind type 2 diabetes and the complex cellular checkpoints that maintain balance to prevent disease. Thereafter, Helmuth aimed to combine his knowledge of signaling and metabolism with the fascinating field of stem-cell biology. Thus, he joined the group of Hans Clevers in Utrecht, Netherlands, where he investigated adult tissue stem cells in the liver and intestine and their use in clinical research and regenerative medicine. Since 2020, Helmuth has lead his own research group at ETH Zurich, where he studies the dynamic interactions of stem cells and cancer cells with the help of mouse genetics, single-cell sequencing, and organoid technology.

Collection Overview

Throughout the life of an organism, stem cells play a key role in both health and disease. During embryonic development, pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) drive the formation of the organism with their capacity to self-renew and develop into any cell of the three germ layers. During adulthood, the regenerative capacity of the body rests in adult stem cells, which are able to self-renew, but restricted to differentiate into cells of the organ in which they reside.

The ability to both self-renew and differentiate has made stem cells invaluable for studying processes such as tissue homeostasis and active regeneration. Additionally, many diseases are characterized by loss or uncontrolled gain of regenerative potential. Stem cell cultures can model these disease mechanisms by using patient-derived material or by targeted genetic manipulation of healthy stem cells.

Recent years have led to the development of 3D culture systems in which both induced PSCs and adult stem cells derived from healthy individuals or patients self-organise and form organoids containing both differentiated cells and stem cells. This has opened up new possibilities to study organ morphogenesis and regenerative medicine. Likewise, organoid technology facilitates the culture of cancer cells that maintain the heterogeneity, resistances, and vulnerabilities of the original tumour.

The aim of this Methods Collection is to bring together techniques used to study and manipulate stem cells in 3D culture during homeostasis and disease and to increase accessibility of organoid technology for a wide range of research fields.