Scientists create mini bat organs to study deadly viruses like COVID-19, potentially preventing the next global pandemic by understanding how pathogens jump from bats to humans.
Key Takeaways
- Korean researchers have developed the world’s largest bat organoid platform that replicates multiple organs from various bat species to study dangerous viruses.
- The platform enables scientists to isolate and study bat-borne viruses that cause human pandemics like COVID-19 and MERS in a controlled laboratory setting.
- Using this technology, researchers have already discovered two previously unknown bat viruses, one of which could only grow in these specialized organoids.
- This groundbreaking system can test antiviral drugs in a bat cellular environment, providing more accurate predictions of drug effectiveness against emerging threats.
- The initiative aims to create a global biobank resource for virus research, supporting President Trump’s pandemic preparedness efforts and enhancing national biosecurity.
Revolutionary Platform Replicates Bat Biology to Track Pandemic Threats
In a significant breakthrough for viral research and pandemic prevention, scientists at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in Korea have developed an innovative organoid platform that recreates the internal biology of multiple bat species. This advanced system allows researchers to study how dangerous viruses live harmlessly in bats before potentially making the deadly jump to humans. The comprehensive approach includes creating mini-organs from the trachea, lungs, kidneys, and small intestines of five different bat species collected from Korea and Europe, providing an unprecedented laboratory environment that closely mimics natural bat physiology.
“Reconstructing bat organ physiology in vitro empowers us to dissect zoonotic virus biology with unprecedented precision, a vital step toward mitigating future outbreaks before they reach humans,” said Dr. Koo Bon-Kyoung
This platform represents a substantial improvement over previous research methods that relied on single-organ models or standard cell cultures. By creating multiple organ types from various bat species, scientists can now observe how viruses behave differently depending on the specific organ and bat species they infect. Such detailed understanding is crucial for identifying which viruses pose the greatest risk of crossing species barriers to infect humans, potentially triggering the next pandemic.
Uncovering New Viruses and Testing Treatments
The bat organoid system has already proven its value by enabling the isolation and characterization of two previously unknown bat viruses. Remarkably, one of these newly discovered viruses could not be grown in standard laboratory cell cultures but thrived in the specialized bat organoids. This demonstrates how this platform could become essential for identifying and studying elusive pathogens that might otherwise remain undetected until they cause human outbreaks. With over 75% of new infectious diseases in humans originating from animals—and bats specifically harboring many dangerous viruses including SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, and various influenza strains—this capability addresses a critical gap in our pandemic defense system.
“This platform lets us isolate viruses, study infections, and test drugs all within one system — something you can’t do with ordinary lab cell models. By mimicking the bat’s natural environment, it boosts the accuracy and real-world value of infectious disease research,” said KIM Hyunjoon
Beyond virus discovery, the platform offers a powerful tool for antiviral drug testing. The organoids can be converted to a two-dimensional version specifically designed for rapid screening of potential treatments. This approach provides significantly more accurate predictions of drug efficacy against bat-borne viruses than traditional testing methods, potentially accelerating the development of effective countermeasures against emerging threats.
Understanding Bat Immunity to Enhance Human Protection
One of the most intriguing aspects of this research is the exploration of bats’ remarkable immune systems, which allow them to harbor deadly viruses without becoming sick. The organoid platform reveals that immune responses vary considerably between different bat species and organs, providing crucial insights into how these mammals have evolved to coexist with viruses that prove devastating when they infect humans. By understanding these protective mechanisms, scientists hope to develop new strategies for preventing virus transmission or mitigating disease severity in human populations.
“With these standardized and scalable bat organoids, we aim to systematically identify novel bat-origin viruses and screen antiviral candidates targeting pathogens with pandemic potential,” said Dr. CHOI Young Ki.
The research team plans to expand their biobank to include more bat species from viral emergence hotspots around the world. This global approach aligns with President Trump’s commitment to strengthening America’s pandemic defenses through cutting-edge research. By investing in this type of forward-thinking science, we can better protect our citizens from the devastation of future pandemics while ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent on truly effective preparedness measures rather than wasteful government programs that fail to deliver real security.
