Justin Conner is on a mission to change traditional science models. A current postdoctoral researcher in the José Vázquez-Medina lab at UC Berkeley, Justin received his PhD in Comparative Physiology from University of North Texas and is a recent post-doctoral alumni from Frank van Breukelen’s lab at UNLV. From an early age, he loved animals and he has worked with a variety of species, including alligators, pythons, tenrecs, and our personal favorite at Fauna, 13-lined ground squirrels. His journey has led him down many different paths and shown him some very unique animals, but he still asks the question- how weird is this animal, really? He hopes to have his own lab that would focus on a specific physiological processes in a variety of animals to show similarities and differences across species.
In his current work, Justin creates organoids from multiple non-traditional research models. Organoids are artificially grown masses of cells that resemble an organ. This is a particularly useful method when you want to understand a biological phenomenon in an animal that is difficult to procure. Can’t house a seal in your lab? No problem, we can grow their organs of interest from biological samples. Working with organoids makes comparative work much easier and opens up a new avenue for understanding if these animals are truly as strange as they appear.
Organoids are also potentially a part of the future of drug discovery. This year, the FDA has said that they would soon be able to approve drugs without first undergoing trials in animals. (Science, Jan 2023.) This is a huge development in the process of drug discovery and could provide support for alternative methods of screening drugs, either computationally or through technologies such as organoids.
Personally, Justin is interested in making a meaningful difference in academia simply by living his life the way that most makes sense to him. He is increasing diversity and accessibility in science and hopes to bring that into the future of his work and inspire others. Many people do not follow this path because they haven’t seen anyone like them do it before, or get discouraged along the way because the lifestyle isn’t right for them. Justin is changing the mold simply by being himself and we’re excited to share the awesome work he’s been doing. You can also find him on x.com (formerly known as Twitter) @JCONNScience.
To start- can you briefly describe the process of making an organoid?
There are multiple ways to make organoids. Some can be derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). There are methods that utilize embryonic stem cells (ESC). However, the method I use derived organoids from adult stem cells (ASC) from the native tissue. For this process, I take a biopsy from the organ of interest and utilize a specific isolation protocol to free adult stem cells from the native tissue. The stem cells are then embedded in a Matrigel cell-matrix and sit in an expansion medium (EM) that contains a combination of growth factors that allow for the growth and expansion of undifferentiated organoids.
What is unique/special about organoids that makes them a key resource for biomedical research
Organoids can provide a more traceable system that can provide insight into certain organs' development, regeneration, insights into organ metabolism, and disease modeling. Organoids also hold promise for toxicity assessment and drug screening for personalized medicine.
How do you see organoids from the species you work with contributing to solving human health problems? i.e what is the translational value you see?
The organoids that I am developing from golden mantled ground squirrels and 13-lined ground squirrels can provide important insight into many human pathologies and medical challenges. For instance, organoids in these species can be used to better understand mechanisms involved in the avoidance of ischemia/reperfusion injury. These organoids can also be used to better understand other medical benefits that might be associated with the extreme metabolic suppression that accompanies hibernation.
What inspired you to start working with organoids in general?
It’s funny, a couple of years ago I had no clue what an organoid even was. It was my postdoctoral advisor Frank van Breukelen who first introduced me to the concept. It was not after I was trained in the technique (by collaborators at Iowa State University) did I learn of its potential and how it allowed me to carve out a unique niche for myself.
What is holding the field back?
The field is still relatively new and the most important issues currently are “how do we create the best organoid that recapitulates native tissue?” That does not only involve differentiating an organoid that replicates the heterogeneity of cell types/markers associated with the organ of interest but, how do we take models that replicate microvascular systems and complex interactions between other cell types (i.e., how glial cells might interact with intestinal organoids).
What do you think is the future of organoid research?
I think the future in organoid research mirrors a lot of what I was discussing regarding what is holding the field back. Chimeric organoids (organoids made up of cell types from multiple systems). Another future direction is advancing organoids in non-model systems.
Where do you see parallels between your work and other non-model organism researchers?
The parallels lie in the fact that the majority of protocols for the propagation and differentiation of organoids are conducted in model systems. So, troubleshooting is required in order to determine how to properly differentiate organoids from other species.
What do you think are the benefits of academic and industry collaborations in science?
The dynamics of academic research mean that there is a lot of pressure to produce publications from novel experiments. Organoids are a tool that is in need of development. Industry collaborations in this case allow for funding that can be used to develop/refine this research tour.
What do you wish people understood about organoid research?
I wish that people really understood/grasped their potential. This tool is revolutionizing cell culture and our understanding of organ biology.
Interview by: Kacey Haptonstall
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