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Short abstract:

We present a multi-sited exploration of how new cellular technologies of organoids were mobilized as part of ‘emergency R&D’ during outbreaks of Zika and Covid-19. We discuss the significance of organoids for infectious disease research and the need for equity in addressing global health challenges.

Long abstract:

We present an empirical multi-sited exploration of how new cellular technologies are mobilized as part of ‘emergency R&D’ during infectious disease outbreaks of Zika and Covid-19, and of their growing significance for global health. Organoids are a new biotechnology, which involve constructing miniature like lungs and brains out of cells and infecting them with viruses. We explore how organoids were significant in the public health emergencies of Zika and Covid-19, when understanding how emerging pathogens behave and affect the human body was key to the rapid outbreak response. We address the implications of new organoid technologies within the context of emerging infectious disease research, shedding light on the largely unacknowledged but significant role of cell-based technologies in these contexts.

We draw on a range of collected data, reports and interviews related to these health emergencies. We demonstrate that organoid research has primarily been focused on common complex diseases (CCD) prevalent in the Global North. However, in times of public health emergencies, organoid research has been mobilized and rapidly developed in the area of infectious disease research to tackle Zika outbreak and the Covid-19 pandemic. We argue that this use of organoids has led to celebratory discourses which emphasize the collective effort in fighting outbreaks and the positive role biotechnologies can play in global health. Despite this success, however, such scientific mobilization underscore broader issues of inadequate preparedness and organized responses, revealing disparities in defining research priorities and a need for greater equity in addressing global health challenges.