The INRAE Animal Productions magazine has published a dossier entitled "Stem cells and organoids: realities and prospects".

This dossier presents a selection of articles which, for the most part, follow on from presentations from the "Stem cells and organoids: realities and prospects" theme day organized by Biotechnocentre on June 25, 2021.

The BioTechnoCentre Thematic Research Network, accredited by the Centre-Val de Loire region and made up of members from INRAE, CNRS, INSERM and the Universities of Tours and Orléans, works in the fields of biology, health and life chemistry. Its aim is to create links between all life and health sciences researchers in the Centre Val de Loire region, and to facilitate contacts between higher education, research and the regional economy.

In view of the health context created by the Covid-19 epidemic, the 2021 theme day was held as a webinar, and was a resounding success. Some 150 participants took part, underlining the growing interest in this theme.

Stem cells and organoids, simplified versions of organs, represent biological tools that are enabling major advances in biology and medicine, and are raising many hopes while reducing the need for animal experiments. In this dossier, we present the latest developments in organoid models for agronomic research, while also addressing the technological challenges and applications that arise from them. These articles echo the work of the INRAE "organoids" working group, which brings together more than 80 researchers from several scientific departments, under the guidance of a steering committee comprising a representative from each of the five Animal Departments (PHASE, Bertrand Pain, GA; Elisabetta Giufra, SA; Sonia Lacroix-Lamande, MICA; Agnès Wiedemann and Corinne Joffre, ALIMH).