Top 10 organoid research breakthroughs of 2025

Abstract

Organoid technology has rapidly matured into a versatile three-dimensional in vitro platform capable of recapitulating key structural and functional features of native tissues. The field is increasingly driven by multidisciplinary integration, with research efforts shifting beyond simple cellular self-organization toward the reconstruction of complex physiological functions. Recent advances in bioengineering have provided organoids with more precisely controlled physical and chemical microenvironments. Approaches such as microfluidic platforms, synthetic biomaterials, and three-dimensional bioprinting enable the in vitro reconstruction of tissue-specific architectures. In addition, progress in vascularization strategies has alleviated longstanding challenges associated with nutrient delivery and metabolic waste removal in larger organoids. The development of assembloid systems further allows the modeling of inter-organ communication and complex physiological axes, expanding the scope of organoid-based studies beyond single-tissue contexts. Together, these technological innovations have substantially enhanced the utility of organoids in disease modeling, drug screening, and regenerative medicine. With continuous improvements in culture systems and the advancement of high-dimensional data analysis, organoids are increasingly serving as a critical bridge between fundamental research and clinical translation. In this review, we summarize the key developments in 2025 and highlight ten representative studies that exemplify recent practical breakthroughs, with the aim of providing useful insights and references for researchers working in this rapidly evolving area.

Keywords

Organoids / Vascularization / Regenerative medicine / Artificial intelligence / Disease modeling

Acknowledgements

None.

Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos.: 82230071, 32471396, 82427809), Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology (grant no.: 23141900600, Laboratory Animal Research Project), and Young Elite Scientist Sponsorship Program by China Association for Science and Technology (grant no.: YESS20230049).

Conflict of interest

Jiacan Su is an Editor-in-Chief of this journal, but was not in any way involved in the editorial and peer-review process conducted for this paper, directly or indirectly. Separately, other authors declared that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper.

Author contributions

Conceptualization: Long Bai, Jiacan Su

Visualization: All authors

Writing-original draft: Long Bai, Jian Wang

Writing-review & editing: Yuling Han, Han Lin, Wei Zhang, Junhong Luo, Lin Lin, Yifei Miao, Chenjie Xu

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Availability of data

Not applicable.

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