Organoids - New Models for Host-Helminth Interactions

Abstract

Organoids are multicellular culture systems that replicate tissue architecture and function, and are increasingly used as models of viral, bacterial, and protozoan infections. Organoids have great potential to improve our current understanding of helminth interactions with their hosts and to replace or reduce the dependence on using animal models. In this review, we discuss the applicability of this technology to helminth infection research, including strategies of co-culture of helminths or their products with organoids and the challenges, advantages, and drawbacks of the use of organoids for these studies. We also explore how complementing organoid systems with other cell types and components may allow more complex models to be generated in the future to further investigate helminth-host interactions.

Keywords: excretory/secretory; helminths; host–parasite interaction; models; organoids.

Figure 1

Key Figure. Comparison of In Vivo Models and Organoid Systems on the Degree of Modelling of the Components of the In Vivo Host–Helminth Interaction In vivo models allow a holistic recreation of the conditions required for parasite infection, including tissue architecture, oxygenation, multicellularity, cell differentiation and growth factor and nutrient gradients, colonization by local microbiota, and interactions with other cells that create a unique microenvironment hosting the parasite. Organoids can be grown in 2D and 3D conformations mimicking to some extent the components of the in vivo host–parasite interaction. '✓': fully recreated; '✗': not modelled; '?': condition modelling not known or investigated; '✓?': conditions that have been recreated to certain extent; '✗?': those that have not been successfully modelled by the authors, but are still to be tested in work with other helminths.