IBS Korea Virus Research Institute and Genome Editing Research Group’s Study
Researchers Create ‘Bat Organoids’ Derived from Korean Bats; Published in ‘Science’
The Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in Korea has successfully created the world’s largest ‘bat organoid’ using bats residing in Korea, establishing a platform to verify the effectiveness of new infectious disease treatments.
On May 16, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that a collaborative research team led by Choi Young-ki, head of the IBS Korea Virus Research Institute, and Koo Bon-kyeong, head of the Genome Editing Research Group, constructed bat organoids. They clarified the infection and proliferation characteristics of zoonotic viruses from bats. The findings were published in the international journal ‘Science.’
Organoids are stem-cell-derived artificial organs that perfectly replicate the functions of actual organs, allowing their use as testbeds for evaluating the efficacy of new drugs before human clinical trials. With the U.S. FDA proposing the phased abolition of animal testing in drug development, organoids have emerged as viable alternatives.
The research team believes that bat organoids could be crucial in early identification of the proliferation and transmission characteristics of bat-borne viruses like the coronavirus.
During a press briefing on the 14th, Director Choi stated that “approximately 75% of infectious diseases originate in animals, with bats accounting for 20% of mammals on Earth. Many viruses originate from bats,” highlighting the significance of the bat organoid.
While attempts at making bat organoids have been ongoing globally, only single organ tissues from common cell lines or certain tropical fruit bats had been achieved. Director Choi noted that single-organ organoids cannot reveal species-specific characteristics or infection traits of different bat species.
The research successfully created bio-models of airways, lungs, kidneys, and intestines from five bat species, including insectivorous bats widely living in Northeast Asia and Europe. This marks the first creation of diverse organ mimics from a variety of bat species worldwide.
Director Choi described the organoid as finely verified at the tiny cellular level to prove its resemblance to actual organs.
The team tested the infection aspects of the coronavirus, MERS, avian influenza, and hantavirus using the organoids. When the coronavirus was introduced to bat organoids, there were no effects, but it grew in cells injected with ‘TMPRSS2,’ an enzyme found only in humans. Director Choi explained this proves the coronavirus is human-specific and cannot originate from Korean bats lacking TMPRSS2.
The MERS virus, however, showed growth in organoids from Korean bats known as ‘Mundungi bats’ and ‘Daegeuksoekeun Seoemyeon bats,’ indicating they could become MERS carriers.
Upon infecting organoids with the hantavirus, discovered in Korea, the virus proliferated notably in the kidneys and respiratory tracts of Korean bats. Director Choi mentioned the potential to combat hantavirus using kidney organoids.
The team also developed a ‘rapid antiviral screening platform’ by adapting the 3D bat organoids to 2D cultures. Antiviral agents like remdesivir were applied, resulting in more sensitive and precise infection inhibition compared to existing systems, suggesting use in assessing infection and selecting treatments for novel viruses.
Leading researcher Kim Hyun-joon explained the platform as capable of performing virus isolation, infection analysis, and drug response evaluation simultaneously, enhancing the research precision and efficacy in combating infectious diseases.
Koo Bon-kyeong highlighted the importance of recreating actual bat organ biological environments in laboratory settings, marking a turning point in research on the pathology mechanism of zoonotic diseases.