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Data from: Recapitulating apicobasal tissue polarity in extracellular matrix-incorporated airway organoids

Gong, Zhuowei1; Bhattaram, Dhruv1; Porritt, Laura2; Golestan, Kian1; Barati Farimani, Amir1; Ryan, Amy3; Weiss, Daniel2; Ren, Xi1

Published Apr 30, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.5tb2rbpgq

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Apr 30, 2026 version files 533.93 MB

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Abstract

The airway epithelium is a dynamic barrier that interfaces with the external environment and internal matrix niche along its apicobasal axis. To recapitulate this tissue arrangement in an organoid format, we present the decellularized ExtraCellular Matrix-incorporated Apical-out Airway Organoid (dECM-AoAO) that integrates native matrix cues, through incorporation of human lung-derived dECM microparticles, without compromising the apical-out polarity. Incorporation of dECM effectively diversifies lineage distribution that better recapitulates native epithelial composition compared to ECM-free AoAO. Harnessing the dECM-AoAO locomotion powered by outward-facing ciliary beating, we developed an experimental and computational pipeline for swarm analysis of organoid group motility as a functional readout of ciliary function. Lastly, dECM-AoAO withstood cryopreservation and reviving with sustained viability, lineage distribution, and ciliary function, enabling future scalability and broad distribution. Together, this work establishes dECM-AoAO as a physiologically relevant and versatile model system for investigating epithelial-ECM interaction during airway homeostasis, disease pathogenesis, and injury responses.