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REVIEW ARTICLE

Microgel-mediated organoid engineering: Biomaterial design, microenvironmental regulation, and biofabrication strategies

Hongxiang Cai1† ,  Hao Li1† ,  Yishi Liu2† ,  Jiaxuan Fan1 ,  Boyi Jiang1 ,  Zongke Zhou1* ,  Pengfei Li3,4* ,  Zeyu Luo1*
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1 Department of Orthopedics, West China Hospital/West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan , China
2 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan , China
3 Precision Medicine Translational Research Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan , China
4 Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center, Rotterdam , Netherlands
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
OR, 026360032 https://doi.org/10.36922/OR026360032
Received: 4 September 2026 | Revised: 30 September 2026 | Accepted: 8 October 2026 | Published online: 5 November 2026
© 2026 by the Author(a). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Organoids are organ-like structures formed by the self-organization of stem cells, progenitor cells, or patient-derived cells within a three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment. They are capable of mimicking the cellular composition, spatial structure, and functional characteristics of in situ tissues. Organoids have become an important platform for developmental biology, disease modeling, drug screening, and regenerative medicine. However, current organoid culture remains highly dependent on animal-derived matrices. The poorly defined composition, substantial batch-to-batch variability, and limited tunability of the mechanical and degradation properties of these matrices hinder the clinical translation of organoid models. Microgels typically refer to micrometer-scale hydrogel particles (1–1,000 μm) formed by the crosslinking of natural or synthetic polymers. Compared to traditional bulk hydrogels, microgels combine the design flexibility of individual particles with their collective ability to assemble into larger structures. By adjusting the size, stiffness, porosity, surface ligands, degradation rates, and factor release behavior of microgels, they can provide cells with a more controllable local microenvironment. This review focuses on the fundamental material properties, structural characteristics, fabrication techniques, and functional mechanisms of microgels in organoid engineering. It discusses their applications as cell-encapsulation units, scaffold templates, self-assembling building blocks, and bioactive-factor delivery platforms and evaluates their potential for standardized and scalable organoid manufacturing. Finally, we summarize the key challenges facing the field and outline the future directions for stimuli-responsive microgels, cellular microgelation, pure-cell building blocks, and smart biomanufacturing in next-generation organoid engineering.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Microgel
Microsphere
Organoid
Biofabrication
Regenerative medicine
Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82673248, 82302786, and 82172394), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (BX20230245 and 2023M742478), the Sichuan Science and Technology Program (2023YFH0068), the Sichuan Province Innovative Talent Funding Project for Postdoctoral Fellows (BX202203), the Sichuan University Postdoctoral Interdisciplinary Innovation Fund (JCXK2226), 1.3.5 Project for Disciplines of Excellence, West China Hospital, Si Chuan University (ZYGD23033), and the Postdoctor Research Fund of West China Hospital, Sichuan University (2023HXBH012).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
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Organoid Research, Electronic ISSN: 3082-8503 Published by AccScience Publishing
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