The ability to generate functional artificial lymphoid tissue to induce specific immunity at ectopic sites could offer a potential breakthrough for treatment of diseases such as cancer and severe infection using immunotherapy. Artificial lymphoid tissue could also offer an informative tool to study further lymphoid tissue development and function in vivo. Here, we review the process of secondary and tertiary lymphoid organization, of which an understanding is essential for artificial lymphoid tissue synthesis. Using this knowledge, we consider the combination of cell types, soluble factors and scaffold properties that will enable proper accumulation and organization of lymphocytes into tissue grafts. Recent success in in vivo induction of artificial lymphoid tissue are also considered.