How We Are Growing Organs In The Lab? | Dr. Jim Wells | TEDxCincinnati

Summary

In this insightful talk, the speaker explores the groundbreaking potential of stem cell research to transform organ transplantation. By harnessing stem cells, scientists can create organoids—miniature, functional versions of human organs. These organoids have the power to aid in disease diagnosis, test experimental drugs, and eventually, serve as models for creating fully functional organs for transplantation. The speaker highlights the progress made in growing organ-like structures from stem cells, with a goal to revolutionize organ replacement therapies and ultimately save lives of patients waiting for organ transplants.

Takeaways

• 😀 Organs for transplantation are in critically short supply, with over 130,000 people waiting in the U.S. alone, and only one out of four will receive a transplant each year.
• 😀 Researchers are working on growing organs from stem cells, aiming to create personalized, transplantable organs using a patient's own cells.
• 😀 Scientists have made significant progress by creating organoids, miniature organ-like structures that can be made from a person’s stem cells and have many properties of real organs.
• 😀 Organoids are small, about the size of a pea, and can replicate organ functions, such as absorbing nutrients in the digestive system or secreting acids like the stomach does.
• 😀 The goal of organoid research is to build more complex, functional tissues, including nerves, muscles, and blood vessels, to eventually create full-scale organs for transplants.
• 😀 Organoids can be used as patient avatars for personalized medicine, helping test drugs and predict how specific patients might respond to treatments, such as cancer or cystic fibrosis drugs.
• 😀 In the Netherlands, organoids from patients are being used to test experimental drugs before applying them to the patient, increasing the likelihood of successful treatments.
• 😀 Organoids are proving valuable in diagnosing complicated diseases that traditional tests fail to identify, as seen in a case where organoids helped diagnose a patient with issues in the pancreas, stomach, and intestines.
• 😀 The future of organ transplantation involves using bioengineered organoids to replace damaged organs, a goal that researchers are pursuing with increased collaboration and advanced technology.
• 😀 Advances in stem cell research and organoid technology hold the potential to drastically reduce or eliminate organ transplant waiting lists and transform the way we approach medical treatments.
• 😀 The speaker encourages young people to continue asking questions and pursuing careers in science, as curiosity is key to discovering solutions to the world's most pressing medical challenges.

Q & A

What is the main problem highlighted in the beginning of the presentation?

The speaker presents the emotional scenario of a child needing an organ transplant but facing a long wait, highlighting the shortage of available organs for transplantation.

What breakthrough has the speaker’s lab made in stem cell research?

In 2009, the lab discovered how to turn stem cells into three-dimensional organ-like structures called organoids, which mimic real organs but are much smaller.

What are organoids and how do they resemble real organs?

Organoids are miniature, three-dimensional structures grown from stem cells that replicate many properties of real organs, such as having multiple layers and specialized functions, like nutrient absorption and muscle contraction.

Why are organoids useful in medical research despite not being ready for transplantation?

Organoids are useful as patient avatars, allowing researchers to test drugs, study diseases at a cellular level, and develop personalized treatments for patients, even before being ready for transplant use.

How are organoids being used to improve drug testing and patient-specific treatments?

Organoids are used to test the efficacy of drugs on patient-specific organ models, such as testing experimental drugs for diseases like cystic fibrosis and determining whether a drug might work for a particular patient's type of cancer.

Can you give an example of how organoids have been used in diagnosing complex diseases?

The speaker mentions a patient with a complex disease involving the pancreas, stomach, and intestine, where organoids were created to help pinpoint the issue when traditional diagnostic tests failed, leading to a customized treatment strategy.

What are the future goals of the research involving organoids?

The primary goal is to create larger, more functional organoids that could eventually be used for organ transplantation. Researchers aim to make organoids bigger, incorporate more complexity, and test them in animal models.

What challenges do researchers face in making organoids suitable for transplantation?

Researchers face challenges in growing larger organoids that function like real organs, including replicating the complex structures of organs, such as nerves, blood vessels, and immune cells, and ensuring these tissues can be transplanted successfully.

What is the significance of using stem cells to grow organoids from individual patients?

Using a patient’s own stem cells ensures that the organoids are genetically matched to the patient, leading to more accurate models for testing treatments and understanding individual disease mechanisms, ultimately allowing for personalized medicine.

Why is the speaker passionate about scientific research, according to the presentation?

The speaker is driven by a natural curiosity to ask questions and solve problems, a passion that started from a young age, and encourages others, especially young people, to continue questioning and seeking answers in science.