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EDITORIAL
Materiobiology-driven engineering for next-generation

organoids

Rui L. Reis *
1,2
1 3B’s Research Group, I3Bs-Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of
the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Barco, Portugal
2 ICVS/3B’s - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
*Corresponding author: Rui L. Reis (rgreis@i3bs.uminho.pt)

Citation: Reis RL. Materiobiology- 1. Introduction
driven engineering for next-
generation organoids. Organoid Res. The rapid advancement of organoid technology has significantly transformed
2025;1(2):OR025210018.
doi: 10.36922/OR025210018 biomedical research, offering sophisticated in vitro platforms for disease modeling,
precision medicine, and regenerative therapies. These three-dimensional
1
Received: May 21, 2025 (3D) structures, derived from stem cells, intricately recapitulate tissue-specific
Accepted: May 26, 2025 microenvironments and physiological complexities, bridging gaps previously
Published online: June 19, 2025 unfillable by traditional cell cultures or animal models. Central to the efficacy and
potential of these engineered tissues is the foundational role played by biomaterials,
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). which actively govern the cellular self-organization, functional maturation, and
This is an Open Access article
2
distributed under the terms of the translational viability of organoids. The emergence and advancement of a new
Creative Commons Attribution field often called materiobiology has provided systematic theoretical guidance for
License, permitting distribution, and the design of organoid matrix materials. Innovations in materiobiology science are
reproduction in any medium, which
provided that the original work is not simply incremental improvements but represent transformative shifts enabling
properly cited. precise, reproducible, and clinically relevant organoid systems.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with regard 2. Historical insights: Natural biomaterials and emerging
to jurisdictional claims in published constraints
maps and institutional affiliations.
Initial organoid models were primarily leveraged by the use of naturally derived
biomaterials, such as collagen, laminin, Matrigel, and other natural origin
materials due to their inherent biocompatibility and biological fidelity to the native
extracellular matrix. These materials offer essential biochemical cues critical
3
for early organoid development. However, their limitations-including variability
between batches, unpredictable degradation kinetics, potential immunogenicity, and
limited mechanical tunability have increasingly impeded scalability, reproducibility,
and translational potential. The inherent heterogeneity in these natural matrices
4
underscores an unmet need for also looking for synthetic alternatives that combine
biological compatibility with precise material controllability or for combinations of
synthetic and natural materials.

3. Present progress: Synthetic biomaterials and alternative
hydrogels innovations
Recent advances in synthetic polymers (e.g., poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid),
polyethylene glycol) and alternative hydrogels (e.g., gelatin methacryloyl, gellan
gum, chitosan, and marine origin materials) have enabled more precise control
over organoid microenvironments. Across photopolymerization, 3D bioprinting,
and other fabrication techniques, scientists now design scaffolds with tunable
stiffness, porosity, and topography to mimic organ-specific niches. For example,
5,6
vascularization of liver organoids requires dynamically responsive materials, where

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/OR025210018