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Organoids as Novel Models for Embryo Implantation Study

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Abstract

In the last decade, organoids have become emerging novel models for biomedical research. Organoids are small, self-organized three-dimensional (3D) tissue cultures derived from stem cells that mimic certain tissues or organs. In reproductive medicine, researchers have generated numerous organoids including blastoid (blastocyst organoid), endometrial organoid, and trophoblast organoid. These organdies provide useful models for studying the embryo implantation mechanism through observation of cell differentiation, gene expression, and epigenetic profiles at the implantation stage. As in vitro tissue models, organoids could be coupled with many other frontier technologies such as gene editing and genomic sequencing. However, the main drawback of organoids is that they do not fully mimic their counterparts in vivo tissues. Furthermore, there is a consensus of research ethics on organoids that may limit the types of studies that scientists perform with. Nevertheless, all discoveries and efforts surrounding organoids still greatly benefit therapy development for reproductive clinics.

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Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Alyssa Meng of UCSB and Ryan Lee of UCLA, for their proof reading of the draft.

Funding

This work was supported by “23456” Talent Project of Henan Provincial People’s Hospital.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450003, China

    Yubao Wei & Cuilian Zhang

  2. Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Guoping Fan

  3. Incinta Fertility Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90503, USA

    Li Meng

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Wei, Y., Zhang, C., Fan, G. et al. Organoids as Novel Models for Embryo Implantation Study. Reprod. Sci. 28, 1637–1643 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-021-00501-w

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