Intestinal organoids, or three-dimensional cultures, allows us to model intestinal biology and colon cancer. We have developed a novel way to transplant organoids into the mucosa of recipient mouse colons by directed injection via colonoscopy. In this image, we show that the transplanted organoids (marked with a red or tomato stain) successfully engraft and form intestinal tissue that is identical to normal tissue. The transplanted organoids are further identified with a lysozyme stain, which marks Paneth cells in the organoids that are not present in colon. The image represents an innovative intestinal model that allows us to perform studies in organoid cultures, and then assess their function in mouse colon.

See the winning version of this image here.