Organoids at the forefront of global health: accelerated research and ethical implications in the cases of Zika and COVID-19

Abstract

Bioengineering technologies are increasingly important in global health research, yet their applications beyond vaccines and diagnostics remain underexplored. Our paper examines the role of organoids - advanced stem cell technologies used to model human organs, such as lungs and brains - in the context of infectious disease research. Organoids became crucial during the Zika and COVID-19 outbreaks. These new model systems enabled rapid insights into pathogen behaviour. We analyse how the urgency of Zika and Covid-19 accelerated organoid research, tracing its rise and subsequent slowdown. Our investigation reveals that while organoid technologies experienced a burst of activity during these emergencies, their momentum has waned, with ongoing research predominantly focusing on diseases prevalent in the Global North. We argue that the uneven acceleration and subsequent deceleration of organoid research underscores a critical need for equitable integration of bioengineering in global health priorities, particularly in the context of pandemic preparedness. Our findings advocate for a balanced and inclusive strategy to enhance pandemic preparedness and address global health disparities effectively.

Keywords: Organoids; ethics; global health.

Figure 1.

The rise of the organoid field in the years 2000-2023, according to the database Scopus (searches with a key word ‘organoids’). Research on organoid cultures, in the current sense of this term, has been emerging since about 2009. In that year, Scopus recorded only 23 scientific articles containing the word ‘organoids’ in the title, abstract or keywords. In 2023 alone, 2768 articles on organoids appeared in scientific journals.

Figure 2.

The geographical distribution of organoid research in the years 2000-2023, according to the database Scopus (searches with a key word ‘organoids’). The figure represents the volume of studies conducted in this field between 2009-2023. It shows that this research is concentrated in the countries of the Global North and/or with high scientific capabilities and infrastructures.