Customized Intestinal Organoids

Organoids are a class of cells that arise from pluripotent or adult tissue stem cells. They have a three-dimensional (3D) structure that can reproduce complex cellular organization in vivo, overcoming reductionist in vitro models. Intestinal organoids are 3D in vitro tissue cultures that model the in vivo intestine. These organoids include a polarized epithelial layer that surrounds a functional lumen and contains cell types of the intestinal epithelium present in proportions and relative spatial arrangement that mimic what is observed in vivo. Pluripotent stem cells (PSC) or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) retain their original cellular properties and functions after months of culture in vitro, making them ideal intestinal epithelial physiological models and unique disease models. With the maturation of the technology, intestinal organoids have brought a quantum leap in the study of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and provided new directions and approaches for the study of IBD mechanisms and therapeutic development.

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of intestinal tissue engineering by organoid technology. (Tian et al., 2023)

Intestinal Organoids We Provide

At Ace Therapeutics, we offer reliable organ-like 3D intestinal models to advance clients' IBD drug discovery programs, including study of the molecular pathophysiology, high-throughput drug screening, drug efficacy testing, toxicological evaluation, and organ-based regeneration of IBD.

Organoids Derived from Primary Intestinal Tissue

We isolate intestinal crypts from mouse intestinal tissue and subsequently culture them to form organoids. Intestinal crypts are embedded in a Matrigel extracellular matrix dome and immersed in a growth medium containing specific growth factors.

Organoids Derived from Pluripotent Stem Cells

Intestinal organoids are established from undifferentiated cells through the differentiation of hPSCs to definitive endoderm and initiation of mid/hindgut specification, then through the differentiation of hPSCs to definitive endoderm. hindgut specification, then through intestinal fate induction in 3D culture as intestinal organoids.

Detection and Identification of 3D Intestinal Organoid Models

We offer various characterization techniques and assays to assess the quality of intestinal organoids in culture and to evaluate the research results of intestinal organoid models. The tests that can be performed include phenotypic analysis, drug screening, qRT-PCR, single cell RNA sequencing, flow cytometry, imaging, ELISA, and other kinds of indicators.

Our Intestinal Organoid Culture Technology Platform

Our team of experts has extensive experience in establishing 3D culture systems for intestinal organoids, and can apply various experimental techniques to intestinal organoid culture to better mimic the intestinal epithelial growth environment in vivo or to expand the scope of our clients' research.

• 3D culture techniques such as scaffold-free culture system, scaffold-based culture system, and hydrogels.
• Basic technologies such as stem cell isolation, organoid extraction, and organoid preservation.
• Organoid microarrays: Monitor cell biological changes in real time, record behavioral changes of cells in disease states, and record the whole process of cellular response to drugs through the combination of microarray technology and imaging instruments.
• Gene editing technology: We can genetically manipulate intestinal organoid cultures through a variety of means, including the introduction of genetic material via retro-, adeno- and lentiviral infection or electroporation, as well as specific site-directed mutagenesis using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing.

Applications of Our Intestinal Organoids

• Drug absorption/metabolism/transport evaluation
• Intestinal flora studies
• Intestinal physiology research
• Exploring the pathogenesis of IBD
• Testing the therapeutic efficacy of IBD drugs

As a leading research service provider in the field of IBD, Ace Therapeutics offers a one-stop service from gut organoid model development to drug discovery. If you are interested in learning more, please contact us.