Organoids, which are 3D miniature organs that mimic the structure and function of human organs, play an essential role in disease research and drug development. A Korean research team has overcome the limitations of existing imaging technologies, achieving real-time, high-resolution observation of living organoids.
KAIST (represented by President Kwang Heung Lee) announced on October 14 that the research team of Professor Yongkyun Park of the Department of Physics, in collaboration with the Genome Editing Research Center of the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) (Director Bon-Kyung Koo), President Du- Young Noah) and TomoCube Inc., have developed an imaging technique using holotomography to observe live, small intestinal organoids in real time at high resolution.
Existing imaging techniques have struggled to observe living organoids in high resolution over extended periods and often require additional treatments such as fluorescent staining.
The research team introduced holotomography technology to address these issues, which provides high-resolution images without the need for fluorescent staining and allows long-term observation of dynamic changes in real time without cell damage.
The team validated this technique using small intestine organoids from experimental mice and were able to observe in detail the different cell structures inside the organoids. They also captured dynamic changes such as growth processes, cell division and cell death in real time using holotomography.
Additionally, the technology allowed precise analysis of the organoids' responses to drug treatment, confirming the survival of the cells.
The researchers believe this breakthrough will open new horizons in organoid research, enabling greater use of organoids in drug development, personalized medicine and regenerative medicine.
Future research is expected to more accurately replicate the in vivo environment of organoids, which will significantly contribute to a more detailed understanding of various life phenomena at the cellular level through more accurate 3D imaging.
Dr. Mahan J. Lee, a graduate of KAIST's Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, currently working at Chungnam National University Hospital and first author of the paper, commented, “This research represents a new imaging technique that overcomes previous limitations and is expected to make a major contribution to disease modeling, personalized treatment and drug development research using organoids.”
The results of the research were published online in the international journal Experimental and Molecular Medicine on October 1, 2024 and the technology has been recognized for its applicability in various fields of life sciences. (Paper title: “Long-term three-dimensional high-resolution imaging of live unlabeled small intestine organoids via low-coherence holotomography”)
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea, KAIST Institutes, and the Institute of Basic Sciences.
Source:
KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)
Journal Reference:
Lee, MJ, And others. (2024) Long-term three-dimensional high-resolution imaging of live unlabeled small intestine organoids via low-coherence holotomography. experimental and molecular medicinedoi.org/10.1038/s12276-024-01312-0.