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Grown in the lab, human organoids are small, three-dimensional tissue cultures derived from adult stem cells, which the Cook group isolates from organ donor tissues, provided by the Australian Donation and Tissue Biobank.  

Organoids mimic the structure and function of the original tissue, making them invaluable for medical research. However, despite advances in organoid technology, the lack of immune cells in traditional organoid models limits their research potential for immunologists. 

“There is both an ethical and financial need to design better human-based platforms for discovery and translational research,” said the University of Melbourne’s Dr Cook, Senior Research Officer at the Doherty Institute. 

Dr Cook and her team have spent the last three years developing a cutting-edge human gut organoid and immune cell co-culture system. This platform allows researchers to study immune cell responses to inflammation or infection in an all-human tissue environment. 

The scientists identified an ideal serum-free solution that supports the growth of both human organoids and immune cells. With this important groundwork complete, the team is now ready to test the immune functions in their co-culture model, aiming to demonstrate that these advanced organoids are a viable alternative to the use of animal models in pre-clinical studies. 

Dr Cook’s pioneering work has been recognised with several awards and grants in 2024, including: 

• A $42,000 Pipeline Accelerator Voucher from Phenomics Australia, supporting the development of a high-throughput human organoid and immune co-culture model in collaboration with Professor Kaylene Simpson, Head of the Victorian Centre for Functional Genomics (VCFG) at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre 

• The University of Melbourne’s Animal Welfare Excellence Award – First Prize with her PhD student Dr Laraib Amir Ali for developing organoid tools to eventually replace animal models. 

Dr Cook’s work is a significant step towards the "Replacement" aspect of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) in animal research and has the potential to set a new standard for ethical and more accurate scientific research.  

In recognition of this, the Medical Advances Without Animals (MAWA) Trust provided Dr Cook and Dr Ali a $3,000 travel grant to facilitate international collaboration and training at HUB Organoids in Utrecht, The Netherlands and discuss potential of other animal-free solutions. 

Dr Cook said she is immensely proud of her teams’ progress and the recognition they have received and is very thankful for the support from funders and collaborators. 

“We have now trained several Doherty Institute researchers on our techniques and are always looking for new collaborations and opportunities to support organoid-based research,” she said.  

“We aim to encourage and facilitate the adoption of these replacement technologies both within the University, the Parkville biomedical precinct and internationally.”