Gut Reaction: Novel Transplants for Biological Understanding

This image, submitted by Jatin Roper of the Yilmaz Lab at the Koch Institute, shows intestinal organoids implanted in the colon wall.

Jatin Roper, Tuomas Tammela, Omer Yilmaz
Koch Institute at MIT

Organoids—miniature organs derived from an organism’s own cells—are widely used in biology research. However, it is unclear how these dish-grown structures respond to actual living conditions inside the body.

Here, two intestinal organoids (pink) have been transplanted into the colon wall (blue/green). After confirming their long-term survival in this living intestinal environment, scientists have begun altering the properties of the organoids and host organisms to learn more about the effects of diet, aging, and cancer on both healthy and diseased tissue.

Read more about this work here.

Jatin Roper shares the story behind his award-winning image.

You can also watch his presentation from the opening event on March 3, 2016.