Diverse bat organoids provide pathophysiological models for zoonotic viruses
- Hyunjoon Kim
- Seo-Young Heo
- Young-Il Kim
- Dongbin Park
- Suhee Hwang
- Yong-ki Lee
- Hobin Jang
- Jae-Woo Ahn
- Jeongmin Ha
- Sujin Park
- Ho Young Ji
- Semi Kim
- Isaac Choi
- Woohyun Kwon
- Jaemoo Kim
- Kanghee Kim
- Juryeon Gil
- Boyeong Jeong
- Josea Carmel D. Lazarte
- Rare Rollon
- Jeong Ho Choi
- Eun Ha Kim
- Seung-Gyu Jang
- Hye Kwon Kim
- Bo-Young Jeon
- Ghazi Kayali
- Richard J. Webby
- Bon-Kyoung Koo
- Young Ki Choi
2025-05-22
Bats are important reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens, but suitable model systems for comprehensively exploring host-pathogen interactions and assessing spillover risks remain limited. To address this gap, we developed a collection of bat organoid models spanning five species and four organ types. This multispecies, multiorgan organoid panel showed species- and tissue-specific replication patterns for several viruses, offering robust pathophysiological models for studying respiratory, renal, and enteric zoonotic viruses. Using this platform, we successfully isolated and characterized bat-borne mammalian orthoreoviruses and paramyxoviruses, demonstrating the utility of these organoid panels for virome surveillance. Furthermore, we successfully tested known antiviral drugs for their efficacy against bat virus isolates.