Advantages and Disadvantages of Biological Models (Cell, Organoid, Mouse Models)
Jack (Jie) Huang MD, PhD
Chief Scientist I Founder/CEO I Visiting Professor I Medical Science Writer I Inventor I STEM Educator
Biological models, such as cell models, organoid models, and mouse models, are essential tools in biomedical research. Each model has its own unique advantages and disadvantages, depending on the research objectives.
1. Cell Models:
(1) Advantages:
Simplicity: Cell models (especially 2D cultures) are easy to maintain and cost-effective, making them ideal for high-throughput screening.
Controlled Environment: Researchers can manipulate conditions (such as nutrient levels or drug concentrations) to study specific cellular responses.
Reproducibility: Standardized cell lines allow for consistent and reproducible results across experiments.
(2) Disadvantages:
Lack of Complexity: Cell cultures lack the three-dimensional structure and tissue interactions found in living organisms.
Limited Predictive Power: While cell models can be used for basic research, they often fail to accurately simulate human physiology, leading to variability in drug testing results.
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2. Organoid Models:
(1) Advantages:
3D Structure: Organoids can better replicate the complexity of human tissues and provide a more physiologically relevant environment than 2D cell cultures.
Personalized research: Organoids can be derived from patient-specific cells, enabling a personalized medical approach to studying diseases and testing treatments.
Disease modeling: Organoids can be used to study complex diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and genetic disorders.
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(2) Disadvantages:
Technical complexity: Culturing organoids requires advanced techniques, specialized materials, and a significant amount of time.
Incomplete mimicry: While organoids replicate many aspects of human tissue, they lack features such as vascularization, immune system components, and long-term viability.
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3. Mouse models:
(1) Advantages:
Holistic biological perspective: Mouse models provide a complete biological system, allowing researchers to study gene function, disease progression, and drug effects in vivo.
Genetic manipulation: Mouse models are genetically similar to humans and can be engineered to mimic human diseases, enabling translational research.
(2) Disadvantages:
Species differences: Although mice are genetically similar to humans, they often exhibit different physiological responses, limiting the applicability of research findings to humans.
Ethical considerations: Using animals in research raises ethical issues, and maintaining mouse colonies can be costly and time-consuming.
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Reference
[1] Peter Nagle and Robert Coppes, Cells 2020 (https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9122649)
[2] Xiao-he Wang et al., Science Advances 2024 (https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-023-04591-9)
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2 个月To your point of Disadvantages of Organoid Models, I would partially concur. As the vast majority of organoid companies were created with dissociated biopsies and then created from single cells or stems on up, these do indeed proffer incomplete mimicry: they lack features such as vascularization, immune system components, and long-term viability. Our approach at Spanios was to take organoids at scale to have oxygenation variability using synthetic Hgb w/o the need for non-native vascularization; grow them WITH immune components integrated within; and, to enable long-term stability. These advances enable us to run long-term, repeat and longitudinal studies. Hence, we can more accurately assess/interrogate one's therapeutic assets regardless of the modality type and using dosing schema more replicative to how a human would be treated in the clinic. Our approach in indeed complex and is why most have settled for creating simpler organoid models. We could not settle for that personally as it is almost....inhuman.