Modelling liver diseases using organoids
With millions of people affected worldwide, metabolic liver diseases represent a significant public health challenge. Understanding and treating these severe conditions requires experimental models capable of accurately replicating the complexity of the human liver.
Miniature livers for research
In this context, researchers from the Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism have developed liver organoids (pink ovals, left-hand image) from human stem cells. These tiny three-dimensional structures have been shown to very accurately replicate the interactions between different cell types.
We can now reproduce in a matter of weeks what the disease takes years to develop.
The research team was then able to induce these organoids to develop fat accumulation, inflammation or fibrosis (shown in blue, centre image), thereby replicating the main spectrum of metabolic liver diseases.
Miniature livers, organoids (pink ovals, left-hand image), were developed and then made fibrotic (centre image, fibrosis in blue). Treatment with a protein complex brought the fibrosis back to normal levels (right-hand image). Adapted from Figures 3 and 4, Türkal et al. 2026
From model to application
The scientists then used their liver organoids to test, for the first time, a hypothesis arising from their own work: the role of the S100A10-AnnexinA2 protein complex in the development of liver fibrosis.
By blocking this complex, they observed a marked reduction in fibrosis, with no effect on fat accumulation in the liver, thus positioning it as a promising therapeutic target against liver fibrosis.
Organoids: the ethical future of research
This work perfectly illustrates the potential of liver organoids as a platform for translational research. By faithfully reproducing the biology of the human liver, they offer a credible alternative to animal models. As these models become more precise, they could not only accelerate the discovery of new treatments for chronic liver diseases, but also help to significantly reduce the use of animal testing in biomedical research.