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Human Organoid Innovation Hub

The Human Organoid Innovation Hub (HOIH) is a Snyder Institute core facility with a vision to drive cutting edge research utilizing organoid systems. Our mission is to use patient tissue to drive precision medicine. The HOIH provides all the necessary training and resources to grow human and mouse 3D and 2D organoid systems and provides expertise in designing and executing experiments using this model system. Beyond this, the HOIH is constantly striving to test and develop new organoid protocols and provide the latest in organoid innovation and technology to serve our research community. This facility will support each user from providing organoid samples to collaborating on research endeavours.

The banner image is a 3D Human Duodenal enteroid provided by Grace Baruta

Human Organoid Innovation Hub

We'd like to thank our funding sources that make this facility possible, including the Cumming Medical Research Fund and the office of the Vice President Research, University of Calgary. We would also like to thank the health care professionals and patients who make this work possible.

Organoid Models Available

  • Mouse small intestine and colon 3D organoids and organoid monolayers
  • Healthy human small intestine and colon 3D organoids and monolayers
  • Human IBD small intestine and colon 3D organoids and monolayers

Training

  • Human and mouse organoid isolation training
  • Human and mouse organoid maintenance training (feeding/passaging)
  • Human and mouse organoid monolayer training
  • Training on Immunofluorescence prep and troubleshooting with organoids
  • Training on RNA/DNA/protein isolation from organoids

Services

Consultation Services

  • Organoid Project/ Experiment Consultation
  • Protocol Sharing
  • Letter of Support for Grant Applications

Tissue Culture Services

  • Human and mouse media
  • Basal Membrane Extract (e.g. Matrigel, Cultrex)
  • Media Supplements

Tissue Derived Organoid Services

  • Generation of mouse organoids (knockouts/transgenic/wildtype) at request
  • Generation of healthy and diseased human intestinal organoids
  • Organ-on-a-chip organoids in isolation or co-culture

Research Activities

  • Continuous development of novel organoid models and applications
  • Consistent quality control and characterization of current organoid inventory
  • Long-term project support
  • Pilot organoid experiments
  • Equipment, protocol design or modification

Key Areas of Research and Technical Applications

  • Host-pathogen epithelial interactions
  • Epithelial cell biology
  • Chronic diseases
  • Infectious diseases
  • Drug metabolism
  • Epithelial - Immune cell interactions
  • Immunofluorescence (live cell and fixed)
  • Protein Isolation for Western Blot
  • RNA isolation for qPCR
  • Trans-epithelial Electrical Resistance (TEER) for organoid monolayers
  • Single Cell Isolation

Get Started with the HOIH

Select Publications

  • Fernando EH, Dicay M, Stahl M, Gordon MH, Vegso A, Baggio C, Alston L, Lopes F, Baker K, Hirota S, McKay DM. A simple, cost-effective method for generating murine colonic 3D enteroids and 2D monolayers for studies of primary epithelial cell function. American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. 2017 Nov 1;313(5):G467-75.
  • Dvořák Z, Kopp F, Costello CM, Kemp JS, Li H, Vrzalová A, Štěpánková M, Bartoňková I, Jiskrová E, Poulíková K, Vyhlídalová B. Targeting the pregnane X receptor using microbial metabolite mimicry. EMBO molecular medicine. 2020 Apr 7;12(4):e11621.
  • Chojnacki AK, Krishnan SN, Jijon H, Shutt TE, Colarusso P, McKay DM. Tissue imaging reveals disruption of epithelial mitochondrial networks and loss of mitochondria-associated cytochrome-C in inflamed human and murine colon. Mitochondrion. 2022 Nov 7.

Contacts

Dr. Simon Hirota

Dr. Simon Hirota, PhD

Associate Professor
Dept. of Physiology & Pharmacology
Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology & Infectious Diseases
shirota@ucalgary.ca

Dr. Justin Chun

Dr. Justin Chun, MD, PhD, FRCPC

Assistant Professor
Dept. of Medicine
Cumming School of Medicine and Alberta Health Services 
chuj@ucalgary.ca 

 

 

Dr. Hong Zhang

Dr. Hong Zhang, PhD

Research Methods Associate
Lab: HS2870/2830
zhanh@ucalgary.ca

 

Maria Arzamendi

Maria Arzamendi, MSc

Research Technician
Lab: HS2870/2830
maria.arzamendi@ucalgary.ca

Dr. Hyun Jae Chung

Dr. Hyun Jae Chung, PhD

Senior Stem Cell Scientist
hjchun@ucalgary.ca