Rediscovering the human thymus through cutting-edge technologies

This review highlights how novel cutting-edge technologies, including high-resolution imaging, single-cell omics, and organoid cultures, have improved our understanding of human thymus biology, in terms of developmental trajectories, cellular heterogeneity, and spatial organization. Recent technological advances have transformed our understanding of the human thymus. Innovations such as high-resolution imaging, single-cell omics, and organoid cultures, including thymic epithelial cell (TEC) differentiation and culture, and improvements in biomaterials, have further elucidated the thymus architecture, cellular dynamics, and molecular mechanisms underlying T cell development, and have unraveled previously unrecognized levels of stromal cell heterogeneity. These advancements offer unprecedented insights into thymic biology and hold promise for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for immune-related disorders.