Published a joint research paper led by Institute of Science Tokyo (Prof. Kazuo Takayama) on respiratory syncytial virus using respiratory organoids

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a seasonal respiratory pathogen that causes severe lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children. Previous studies have primarily used cultured cells, which are thought to be unable to reproduce the host response of the human respiratory system. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of respiratory organoids derived from iPS cells as a model for RSV infection. In RSV-infected organoids, we observed destruction of the epithelial layer, accumulation of collagen, and increased levels of inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, the effects of drugs used for RSV treatment and prevention were reproducible. These results demonstrate that respiratory organoids are a useful model for RSV research.

Hashimoto R, Watanabe Y, Keshta A, Sugiyama M, Kitai Y, Hirabayashi A, Yasuhara N, Morimoto S, Sakamoto A, Matsumura Y, Hidekazu Nishimura, Noda T, Yamamoto T, Nagao M, Takeda M, Takayama K. Human iPS cell-derived respiratory organoids as a model for respiratory syncytial virus infection. Life Science Alliance Accepted.

https://www.life-science-alliance.org/content/8/7/e202402837/tab-article-info