Chronic lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis are incurable. Epithelial
senescence, a state of dysfunctional cell cycle arrest, contributes to the progression of such diseases. Therefore,
lung epithelial cells are a valuable target for therapeutic intervention. Here, we present a 3D airway lung organoid
platform for the preclinical testing of active substances with regard to senescence, toxicity, and inflammation under
standardized conditions in a 96 well format. Senescence was induced with doxorubicin and measured by activity
of senescence associated galactosidase. Pharmaceutical compounds such as quercetin antagonized doxorubicininduced senescence without compromising organoid integrity. Using single cell sequencing, we identified a subset
of cells expressing senescence markers which was decreased by quercetin. Doxorubicin induced the expression of
detoxification factors specifically in goblet cells independent of quercetin. In conclusion, our platform enables for
the analysis of senescence-related processes and will allow the pre-selection of a wide range of compounds (e.g.
natural products) in preclinical studies, thus reducing the need for animal testing