Organ Farming application in recent society
Mark Lyu


In recent days, scientists have cultivated a range of human body structures, these small-scale human organs are known as “organoids”.

Organoids are used to study human organ function and structure and also test potential drugs.

Lab-grown organs have less controversy than donated organs in organ transplantations because these organs don’t have ethical issues related to human rights or animal protection.


One of the most remarkable advances in regenerative medicine has been the development of "miniorgans"— tiny versions of, say, a patient's lungs or intestines—that are grown in a lab using stem cells.

These "organoids" can be used to see how an individual person will respond to different drugs, even before they're treated. Eventually, they could be transplanted to help repair tissue.
(Artificial organs is related to this technology. Along with the development and discovery in organoids using, artificial organs will develop on accuracy and functional similarities compare to human organs.)


An organoid is a miniaturized and simplified version of an organ produced in vitro in three dimensions that shows realistic micro-anatomy.

They are derived from one or a few cells from a tissue, embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells, which can self-organize in threedimensional culture owing to their selfrenewal and differentiation capacities.


According to the search results for organoids law and organ transplantation, laws on organoids and lab-grown organs are not separated from the transplantation related laws.

It means Canadian government has not yet developed a systematic limitation on organoids using.


Organoids are mostly used in medicine development, no significant application in industry and agriculture yet.


Using organoids, scientists are able to test potential medicine which provides more possible treatments that fits the patient’s situation.

Systematic organoid produce will reduce the cost of developing drugs.

Flexibility: There are limitless applications of this technique.
Any drug, for any disease, affecting any organ could theoretically be shrunk down and subjected to a battery of tests in a Petri dish before being pumped into a sick person.

The use of these organoids has thus greatly contributed to expanding our understanding of the processes of organogenesis, and the field of developmental biology.


No significant risks is shown in study of organiods, for transplantation the lab-grown organ may show unexpected mutations but it can be detected before transplanting to the patient.

Disadvantages of organiods are:

Time consuming and expensive

Improvements come slowly

Testing and analyzing potential medicines is a long, tedious, and labor-intensive process


Oragnoid is related to Molecular Genetics by
DNA structures and mutations.

To achieve the goal of developing personalized organoid, the DNA must be collected from the patient and organoid will be produced based on patients DNA.

Mutations on human organs can be studied by using organoid to simulate the organ mutations in different environments.


Legislative Services Branch. (2018, December 03). Consolidated federal laws of canada, Safety of Human Cells, Tissues and Organs for Transplantation
Regulations. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/sor-2007-
118/20150211/P1TT3xt3.html

Organoid. (2018, November 28). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organoid

Freethink. (n.d.) Robots Are Mass Producing Mini-Organs. https://www.freethink.com/articles/robots-are-mass-producing-miniorgans

Cassandra Willyard. (2015, July 29). The boom in mini stomachs, brains, breasts, kidneys and more. https://www.nature.com/news/the-boom-inmini-stomachs-brains-breasts-kidneys-and-more-1.18064

Weisberger, M. (2017, July 03). 11 Body Parts Grown in the Lab. https://www.livescience.com/59675-body-parts-grown-in-lab.html