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Review
. 2025 Jul 12;15(1):25185.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-07816-7.

Applications and research trends in organoid based infectious disease models

Ji-O Ryu #  1 , Yu-Jeong Seong #  1 , Eunyoung Lee  2   3 , Sang-Yun Lee  4 , Dong Woo Lee  5
Affiliations
Review

Applications and research trends in organoid based infectious disease models

Ji-O Ryu et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Recently, three-dimensional (3D) cell culture technology has been developing rapidly, and disease-specific organoid models that can simulate human diseases are being developed. These models are being studied as a valuable tool that can be applied to pathogen biology research and drug screening analysis platforms to obtain fast, reliable, and reproducible results. Organoids are 3D cell aggregates formed from embryonic stem cells (ESCs), adult stem cells (ASCs), or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) through self-renewal and self-organization. They are also called mini-organs and have a structure and function similar to those of real organs, providing a more physiologically relevant model compared to traditional 2D cultures. In particular, due to the recent epidemics of infectious diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), many studies are using organoids for infectious disease research, enabling more accurate pathogen-host interaction modeling. In this review, we briefly introduce organoids and discuss research trends in developing organoid-based models of infectious diseases, focusing on organoids derived from the brain, liver, intestines, lung, kidney, skin, and blood vessels. These models hold significant potential for advancing our understanding of disease mechanisms and therapeutic development.

Keywords: 3D Cell culture; Adult stem cells (ASCs); Embryonic stem cells (ESCs); Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs); Infectious disease; Organoids.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Types of organoids based on cell origin. Types of organoids include ASCs, iPSCs, and ESCs. These are used in drug research, toxicity assays, biomarker discovery, personalized medicine, disease modeling, and biobank.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Types of infectious disease organoids. Various types of infectious diseases occur in the brain, liver, lung, intestines, kidney, skin, and blood vessel. Organoids are being actively used to study these infectious diseases.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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