Mini organs, big impact: How organoids are revolutionizing infection research

In this episode of HZI InFact, Dr Kristin Metzdorf, Deputy Head of
the Department "Innovative Organoid Research" at the Helmholtz
Centre for Infection Research (HZI), talks about a pioneering tool
in biomedical research: organoids. These tiny, organ-like cell
structures are grown from stem cells - and open up completely new
possibilities for studying infectious diseases in human tissue.
What exactly are organoids? How are they made in the lab? And why
could they replace animal testing in the future and contribute to
the development of new therapies? Topics of the episode: • What
organoids are - and why they're not just 'mini-organs' • How a
robot called Molly is helping to fully automate the production of
cell cultures • Why organoids are ideal for studying viruses and
bacteria • How infection processes can be realistically simulated
in the lab • What role they will play in the personalized medicine
of the future • Why organoids can help reduce animal testing
Exclusive insights: Dr Metzdorf talks about how her department has
built up an automated organoid platform in a very short time - and
why international collaboration is crucial to its success. She also
explains why organoids are particularly well suited to
understanding complex infection processes such as SARS-CoV-2 or
tuberculosis - and how she herself is inspired by neurobiology.