Airway and Alveoli Organoids as Valuable Research Tools in COVID-19

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, affects tissues from different body systems but mostly the respiratory system, and the damage evoked in the lungs may occasionally result in severe respiratory complications and eventually lead to death. Studies of human respiratory infections have been limited by the scarcity of functional models that mimic in vivo physiology and pathophysiology. In the last decades, organoid models have emerged as potential research tools due to the possibility of reproducing in vivo tissue in culture. Despite being studied for over one year, there is still no effective treatment against COVID-19, and investigations using pulmonary tissue and possible therapeutics are still very limited. Thus, human lung organoids can provide robust support to simulate SARS-CoV-2 infection and replication and aid in a better understanding of their effects in human tissue. The present review describes methodological aspects of different protocols to develop airway and alveoli organoids, which have a promising perspective to further investigate COVID-19.