Female Reproductive System Assembloids in Health and Disease
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Atlas University, Istanbul 34408, Türkiye
- 2Department of Histology-Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Atlas University, Istanbul 34408, Türkiye
- 3Yale Medicine Greenwich Hospital Fertility Center, 5 Perryridge Rd., Greenwich, CT 06830, USA
- 4Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
- 5Atlas University Research Center (ARC), Istanbul Atlas University, Istanbul 34403, Türkiye
- 6Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
Abstract
In just over a decade, in vitro modeling of the female reproductive tract has advanced from planar monolayers of immortalized cells to self-organizing epithelial organoids and, most recently, to increasingly complex multicellular and multicompartment 3D models, including assembloids that combine organoids with additional organoid modules or specialized cell lineages and demonstrate post-assembly integration and self-organization. This review concentrates deliberately on organoid, assembloid, and related multicellular 3D models rather than on reproductive physiology per se. We first establish a criterion-based framework that distinguishes organoids, assembloids, co-cultures, organ-on-chip systems, and blastoids according to assembly strategy, cellular composition, and evidence of structural and functional integration, and trace the rapid consolidation of the assembloid concept from neuroscience into reproductive biology. We then survey, organ-by-organ and with a critical eye, what these models have demonstrated in the endometrium, the ovary and follicle, the fallopian tube, and the embryo–maternal interface, together with the enabling technologies (including microfluidics, vascularization strategies, biomaterials and bioprinting, and single-cell and spatial benchmarking) and the limitations that still constrain the field. We close with emerging translational opportunities in disease modeling, drug and toxicology screening, and personalized reproductive medicine, while highlighting the requirements for physiological validation, reproducibility, standardization, and appropriate ethical and regulatory oversight.
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BibTeX
@article{karalok2026female,
title = {{Female Reproductive System Assembloids in Health and Disease}},
author = {Mete Hakan Karalök and Burcu Biltekin and Turgay Barut and Süleyman Ergün},
journal = {Cells},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/cells15191792},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15/19/1792},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Female Reproductive System Assembloids in Health and Disease
AU - Mete Hakan Karalök
AU - Burcu Biltekin
AU - Turgay Barut
AU - Süleyman Ergün
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Cells
DO - 10.3390/cells15191792
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15/19/1792
AB - In just over a decade, in vitro modeling of the female reproductive tract has advanced from planar monolayers of immortalized cells to self-organizing epithelial organoids and, most recently, to increasingly complex multicellular and multicompartment 3D models, including assembloids that combine organoids with additional organoid modules or specialized cell lineages and demonstrate post-assembly integration and self-organization. This review concentrates deliberately on organoid, assembloid, and related multicellular 3D models rather than on reproductive physiology per se. We first establish a criterion-based framework that distinguishes organoids, assembloids, co-cultures, organ-on-chip systems, and blastoids according to assembly strategy, cellular composition, and evidence of structural and functional integration, and trace the rapid consolidation of the assembloid concept from neuroscience into reproductive biology. We then survey, organ-by-organ and with a critical eye, what these models have demonstrated in the endometrium, the ovary and follicle, the fallopian tube, and the embryo–maternal interface, together with the enabling technologies (including microfluidics, vascularization strategies, biomaterials and bioprinting, and single-cell and spatial benchmarking) and the limitations that still constrain the field. We close with emerging translational opportunities in disease modeling, drug and toxicology screening, and personalized reproductive medicine, while highlighting the requirements for physiological validation, reproducibility, standardization, and appropriate ethical and regulatory oversight.
SN - 2073-4409
ER -