Pathobiology 2027

Mechanisms of Disease

May 1-4, 2027

Flamingo Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NW

Session 028 – Multicellular Organoid Models Across Organs as a Disease Modeling and Therapeutic Testing Platform

8:00-9:45 AM
Sponsored by the ASIP Neuropathology Scientific Interest Group
Session Room: TBD

Session Chair

Nidhi Jalan-Sakrikar

Nidhi Jalan-Sakrikar, PhD
Mayo Clinic

Session Overview

Multicellular organoid systems are rapidly expanding our ability to model human disease in physiologically relevant platforms. This session will highlight advances in organoid models across multiple organ systems, with invited presentations focused on human kidney organoids, liver disease organoid platforms, intestinal organoids for gastrointestinal disorders, and self-organizing cardiac organoids derived from pluripotent stem cells. A central theme of the session will be the use of organoid models as bridges between conventional cell culture, animal models, and human clinical disease. By incorporating multicellular architecture and organ-relevant biology, these platforms offer new opportunities to investigate disease mechanisms, evaluate therapeutic responses, screen candidate drugs, and develop more predictive preclinical models. This session will be of interest to experimental pathologists, cell and developmental biologists, stem cell researchers, translational scientists, and investigators seeking human-relevant systems for mechanistic disease studies and therapeutic testing.

Agenda

  • Co-Chair – Welcome and Introductions

  • Zhongwei Li8:00-8:25 AM
    Leveraging Human Kidney Organoids for Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery
    Zhongwei Li, PhD
    University of Southern California, Los Angeles

  • Amy Engevik8:50-9:15 AM
    Intestinal Organoids as a Tool to Investigate Gastrointestinal Disorders
    Amy Engevik, PhD
    Medical University of South Carolina

  • Aitor Aguirre9:15-9:40 AM
    Building Hearts by Self-organization Using Pluripotent Stem Cells – Uses and Applications
    Aitor Aguirre, PhD
    Michigan State University