Technical advances and applications of airway organoid culture in respiratory diseases
HUANG Peiying
PENG Sirong
ZHANG Jing
WANG Xinru
WANG Yalong
YANG Zhaowei
Abstract：The airway epithelial barrier,serving as a critical defense system of the respiratory tract,maintains respiratory system homeostasis through its complex cellular composition and multifunctional properties.Disruption of the epithelial barrier integrity may contribute to the initiation and progression of various airway diseases.Conventional two-dimensional cell culture models are insufficient in accurately replicating the pathophysiological processes of these diseases,thereby limiting the in-depth exploration of disease mechanisms and the development of effective therapeutic strategies.Airway organoid technology has successfully mimicked the function of the airway epithelial barrier by establishing a complex multicellular system encompassing ciliated cells,goblet cells,and basal cells.In recent years,this innovative approach has been extensively utilized to model chronic airway diseases,elucidate infection mechanisms,and assess environmental toxicity.Focusing on the structural types of in vitro airway epithelial cultures and the cellular sources for organoid generation,this review summarizes the technical advancements of airway organoids,evaluates their potential applications in airway disease research,and explores future developmental directions to enhance understanding of disease mechanisms and accelerate clinical translation.
Keywords：airway organoidschronic airway diseasesairway epitheliuminduced pluripotent stem cellsthree-dimensional culture
Publication Date：2026-02-28
Online Publishing Date：2026-01-28(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：10( 49-58 )