NIH-Funded Scientists Grow Human Lung Organoids With Built-In Immune Systems
NIH-funded researchers have developed human lung organoids that include built-in immune systems capable of mounting adaptive responses to viral infections. The lab-grown tissue models could improve how scientists study respiratory diseases and test potential treatments. The development was reported among NIH research highlights in October 2026.
NIH-funded scientists have successfully grown human lung organoids that come equipped with built-in immune systems. The lab-grown tissue models can orchestrate adaptive immune responses to viral infections, a capability that sets them apart from earlier organoid models.
Organoids are miniature, simplified versions of organs grown in the laboratory from human cells. They allow researchers to study disease processes and test treatments in a setting that more closely resembles the human body than traditional cell cultures or animal models.
Previous lung organoids lacked functional immune components, limiting their usefulness for studying how the lungs respond to pathogens. The new models incorporate immune cells that can recognize and respond to viral threats, making them more representative of actual human lung tissue.
The development could have broad applications for respiratory disease research, including studies of influenza, COVID-19 variants, and other viral infections that affect the lungs. It may also accelerate the testing of antiviral drugs and vaccines by providing a more accurate biological environment.
The research was highlighted in NIH's October 2026 news releases as part of a broader set of advances in biomedical science. Other October highlights from NIH included a study linking the blood pressure drug losartan to brown fat activation and a deep learning model that uses sleep study data to predict cardiovascular outcomes.
NIH's external grants budget for fiscal year 2026, which ended in September, funded approximately 58,000 research projects, down from 61,000 in fiscal year 2025.
