Colorectal Organoids: Models, Imaging, Omics, Therapy, Immunology and Ethics

Colorectal epithelium was the first long-term 3D organoid culture established in vitro. The identification of the key components essential for the long-term survival of the stem cell niche, allowed an indefinite propagation of these cultures and the modulation of their differentiation into various lineages of mature intestinal epithelial cells. While these methods were eventually adapted to establish organoids from different organs, colorectal organoids remain a pioneering model for the development of new applications in health and disease. Several basic and applicative aspects of organoid culture, modeling, monitoring and testing will be analyzed in this review. We will also tackle the ethical problems of biobanking and distribution of these precious research tools, frequently confined in the laboratory of origin or condemned to destruction at the end of the project.