Stem-cell-derived trophoblast organoids model human placental development and susceptibility to emerging pathogens

Theunissen et al. describe a methodology for deriving self-renewing 3D trophoblast organoids from naive human pluripotent stem cells. They demonstrate that stem-cell-derived trophoblast organoids model human placental development, X chromosome inactivation, and placental susceptibility to infection by emerging viral pathogens (SARS-CoV-2 and Zika virus).