By developing lab-grown intestines, researchers identified two unique molecular subtypes of Crohn’s disease, providing critical insights for personalized therapeutic approaches to treat the condition more effectively. Study: A living organoid biobank of patients with Crohn’s disease reveals molecular subtypes for personalized therapeutics . In a recent study published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine , researchers created small, laboratory-grown intestines, called organoids, from tissue samples of patients with Crohn's Disease (CD) to characterize their phenotypic and genotypic features.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a long-lasting digestive illness with varying symptoms among different individuals. Inflammation drives pathologic changes in CD, which is multifactorial in origin. There is currently no perfect way to study CD before testing on humans, and there is no cure.

A significant challenge is the lack of a reliable preclinical model that replicates human disease complexity, and efforts at the successful development of CD therapeutics have stumbled since factors that influence CD heterogeneity and evolution are unclear. About the study In the present study, researchers developed patient-derived organoids (PDOs) and analyzed them at a molecular level to identify pathways underlying Crohn’s disease pathophysiology and develop effective therapeutics. The UC San Diego Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center study included 34 CD patients, ten individuals with ulcerative co.