Human organoid models for virus research
“As a Pediatrician, I see many children being affected by viral diseases. For a long time, this has been my drive to learn about viruses and how they infect humans” Dasja said as she opened her talk at WORD 2023. Aside from treating children at the Emma Kinderziekenhuis (Emma Children’s Hospital), Dasja coordinates our consortium and the research group OrganoVIR Labs, where part of our research is carried out.
At OrganoVIR Labs, Dasja co-leads the research on human picornaviruses, CMV and SARS-CoV2 using human organoids. A human organoid is a miniature and simplified version of a human organ. An organoid contains the DNA of its donor, which means that it carries the personal characteristics of that donor including genetic make-up, age and gender.
Data collected from research at OrganoVIR Labs have shown that results obtained with human organoids translate well to human diseases. Compared to animal models or conventional 2D cell cultures, human organoids provide more accurate information on how viruses infect human cells.
For instance, by using a human fetal intestinal cell culture mode to evaluate the protective ability of human milk against SARS-CoV-2, data showed that human milk blocks SARS-CoV-2 replication irrespective of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific antibodies. Another example of using human organoids in virus research includes using apical-out airway organoids to study infection of respiratory viruses such as Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68).