Overview
- Researchers at the University of Duisburg-Essen, led by Professor Diana Klein, report the method in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology.
- Induced pluripotent stem cells were formed into embryoid bodies and matured for four weeks in a continuously stirred, oxygenated tank before multi-modal analysis.
- Microscopy and RNA sequencing showed airway and alveolar structures with characteristic epithelial and mesodermal lung cells.
- Bioreactor-grown organoids were larger and produced with less manual work, though they showed fewer alveolar spheres and different cell-type proportions than manual controls.
- The team notes current limitations, including the absence of immune cells, vasculature, and blood flow, and says protocol optimization is needed before high-throughput and patient-specific screening can be fully realized.