The use of organoids as an experimental system is rapidly advancing in pace and complexity. Derived from pluripotent or tissue stem cells, organoids are three-dimensional, in vitro, structures intended to model functional or developmental aspects of in vivo organs. They are also being used to model complex physiological systems in organ-on-chip devices and in assembloids, the combination of organoids from different tissues. Organoids are especially useful to model and understand aspects of human biology and pathology. This approach has led to much hope, and proof-of-principle findings, that these structures can serve as human avatars to advance the discovery of personalized therapies and serve as better models for drug discovery.  

However, the rapidity of advances and the influx of diverse scientific backgrounds also presents challenges in an immature field, notable among them the adoption of standards.  Our guests today will talk about some of those challenges, the areas when standards are critically important, and how they will help advance the field.   

Guests
Professor Melissa Little is the CEO and Executive Director of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW), Chief Scientist at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and leader of the Kidney Regeneration Laboratory in Melbourne, Australia. Melissa is a former President of the ISSCR and holds an honorary position as Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne. 

Kim Jensen is Professor at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and Deputy Director at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine. He is also a Scientific Advisory Board Member of the Lund Stem Cell Center and participated in the development of the recently released ISSCR standards document. 

Host
Martin Pera, Editor-in-Chief, Stem Cell Reports and The Jackson Laboratory
@martinperaJAX

Supporting Content
Organoids are not organs: Sources of variation and misinformation in organoid biology

About Stem Cell Reports
Stem Cell Reports is the Open Access journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) for communicating basic discoveries in stem cell research, in addition to translational and clinical studies. Stem Cell Reports focuses on original research with conceptual or practical advances that are of broad interest to stem cell biologists and clinicians.
@StemCellReports

About ISSCR
With more than 4,600 members from 75+ countries, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (@ISSCR) is the preeminent global, cross-disciplinary, science-based organization dedicated to stem cell research and its translation to the clinic. The ISSCR mission is to promote excellence in stem cell science and applications to human health.

ISSCR Staff
Keith Alm, Chief Executive Officer
Yvonne Fisher, Managing Editor, Stem Cell Reports
Kym Kilbourne, Director of Media and Strategic Communications
Jack Mosher, Scientific Advisor

Voice Work
Ben Snitkoff