REVIEW article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Stem Cell Research
Modeling Human Placental Biology: A Review of Organoid Technologies
Provisionally accepted
- Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, United States
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
The development of placental organoids represents a significant breakthrough in reproductive biology, offering an advanced platform for studying human placental development and function. Unlike traditional two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures, three-dimensional (3D) organoid models, such as primary trophoblast organoids (TOs), JEG-3 organoids, and stem cell-derived organoids, provide a more robust and physiologically relevant environment. These models enable researchers to mimic the human placenta's complex architecture and cellular interactions. As a result, these advanced models promise to reveal the mechanisms underlying placental development and the associated disorders. This review compares different organoid types, highlighting their unique features and applications in studying trophoblast invasion, syncytialization, and placental barrier function. Bioinformatics approaches, particularly transcriptomic analyses, have been crucial in validating these models and identifying stage-specific markers of placental development. With challenges such as standardization issues and ethical considerations persisting, the integration of multiple organoid models, advanced technologies, and computational analyses currently provides the most comprehensive strategy for mimicking placental development across all stages in-vitro. Future directions for organoid technologies include the development of multi-organ-on-a-chip models and personalized medicine applications. This review concludes that while no single method perfectly replicates all stages of placental development, the combination of various 3D organoid models, supported by advanced technologies and computational analyses, offers the most effective approach to studying placental biology in-vitro.
Keywords: Organoids, trophoblast models, Maternal–fetal interface, Placenta, stem cell
Received: 27 Aug 2025; Accepted: 15 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Bashi, Joseph, Schuch and Johnson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Alaijah Bashi
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.