Disease modeling and drug screening using human airway organoids: a systematic review

Increasing levels of fine environmental dust particles due to industrialization and emerging respiratory illnesses, such as coronavirus disease 2019, pose serious threats to human life. The use of organoids for disease modeling and drug screening has been proposed as a new treatment approach for respiratory diseases. As discussed in this review, various pathogen models, genetic disease models, and patient-derived lung cancer organoid models have been reported for disease modeling and drug testing using human airway organoids. Despite these promising recent advances, several issues must be addressed before the disease modeling potential of human airway organoids can be fully realized. If systematic methods to produce mature airway organoids can be developed, and reproducible organoid models can be implemented using standardized protocols, airway organoids will likely become valuable respiratory disease models and drug screening tools.