Question: is it cheaper than testing in animals?

Eva Rath answered on 20 Jun 2023:

Using intestinal organoids is cheaper than animal testing (but you should not only consider the financial aspects). However, in animals you can study more than just absorption of nutrients by IECs. Nutrient uptake can be influenced by factors like the composition of food, the speed with which the food mush passes the villi, and how fast nutrients are passed on to the blood on the basolateral side. This is why it is important to consider the whole organism and not just certain cells. And these aspects on nutrient uptake cannot be studied in organoids. But intestinal organoids can help to reduce the number of animals needed in such experiment. For example, the uptake of certain drug candidates can be assessed in organoids, and only the most promising drugs are subsequently tested in animals.