To stimulate tear production, they then exposed their generated organoids to various chemicals, including the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which transmits messages between nerve cells and glands. Through this, they produced tear fluid.

The organoids potentially could be used to research and eventually treat eye diseases associated with dry eyes, such as Sjögren's syndrome. Organoids derived from human cells could also eventually provide material for transplants to replace diseased or damaged lacrimal glands.

The scientists published their development in the journal Cell Stem Cell:
Marie Bannier-Hélaouët, Yorick Post, Jeroen Korving, Marc Trani Bustos, Helmuth Gehart, Harry Begthel, Yotam E. Bar-Ephraim, Jelte van der Vaart, Rachel Kalmann, Saskia M. Imhoff & Hans Clevers (2021). Exploring the human lacrimal gland using organoids and single-cell sequencing. Cell Stem Cell, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2021.02.024.
Source:
https://www.nature.com/