REVIEW article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Bacteria and Host
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1641366
This article is part of the Research TopicReviews in Bacteria and HostView all 5 articles
The Use of Stem Cells and Organoids for Modeling Host-Microbe Interactions in Low-Biomass Tissues
Provisionally accepted
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, United States
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Stem cells and organoids have emerged as pivotal biological tools for biologically relevant models. Together these in vitro models realis6cally recapitulate structural and func6onal elements of the in vivo organ, allowing for studies of cellular, molecular and gene6c features that underpin various diseases that are difficult to observe in low-biomass 6ssues.Stem cells, and more recently organoids, have been applied in vivo as regenera6ve therapies.The emergence of the microbiome as an occupant throughout different body locales requires new approaches to understand the complex cellular interac6ons with the host 6ssue at each site. The success of regenera6ve medicine strategies and therapeu6c development is intricately linked to this understanding and management of host-microbe dynamics. Interac6ons with the host microbiome and infec6ons can both significantly impair 6ssue regenera6on and compromise the func6on of stem cell-derived therapies. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of how pathogens and the microbiome interact with stem cells and organoids is relevant for developing safe and effec6ve regenera6ve medicine interven6ons. This review explores the evolving landscape of organoid technology, including a discussion on the importance of stem cell studies and considera6ons for organoid development that are important for use as models to study microbiome interac6ons. Addi6onally, this work describes the pivotal role of cell culture models in advancing host-microbe interac6on studies in understudied low-biomass organs such as the stomach and reproduc6ve tract. Through this assessment, we aim to shed light on the poten6al of these models to transform the approach to studying and managing infec6ous diseases within the context of regenera6ve medicine.
Keywords: low-biomass microbiota, Stem Cells, host/microbe interactions, microbiome models, in vitro model
Received: 05 Jun 2025; Accepted: 05 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Shaw, Verstrate, Graniczkowska, Risoen, Dini and Weimer. 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: Bart C Weimer, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, United States
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