Recent advances in the isolation of tissue-resident adult stem cells and the identification
of inductive factors that efficiently direct differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells
(hPSCs) along specific lineages have facilitated the development of high-fidelity
modelling of several tissues in vitro. Many of the novel approaches used have employed
self-organising three-dimensional (3D) culturing of organoids, which offer several
advantages over conventional two-dimentional platforms. Organoid technologies hold
great promises for modelling diseases and predicting the outcome of drug responses in
vitro. Here, we outline the historical background and some of the recent advances in the
field of 3D organoids. We also highlight some of the current limitations of these systems
and discuss potential avenues to further benefit biological research using 3D modelling
technologies.GSK and Novartis and a Brunel University London Scholarship awar
