BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY
Cerebral organoids are self-organizing 3D structures derived from human pluripotent stem cells that recapitulate key aspects of human brain development and architecture. First described by Lancaster et al. in Nature (2013), brain organoids have revolutionized our ability to study human neurodevelopment, neurological diseases, and drug responses in an ethically accessible human model.
RESEARCH APPLICATIONS
Brain organoids derived from patients with familial Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease recapitulate pathological features including amyloid plaques, tau tangles, and alpha-synuclein aggregation. These models enable drug screening in human neural tissue.
Organoids from patients with genetic neurodevelopmental disorders reveal mechanisms of disease. Studies of microcephaly using organoids led to understanding of Zika virus effects on brain development.
Brain tumor organoids (BTOs) and cerebral organoid-glioma co-cultures provide platforms for studying tumor invasion, drug resistance, and personalized treatment approaches.
Patient-derived organoids enable study of neurodevelopmental origins of psychiatric conditions, revealing differences in neural progenitor proliferation and synaptogenesis.
CAPABILITIES & LIMITATIONS
- • Human-specific neurodevelopment
- • Patient-specific disease modeling
- • Drug screening in human tissue
- • Long-term culture (months-years)
- • Regional brain specification
- • Lack of vascularization
- • Absence of microglia (often)
- • Batch-to-batch variability
- • Size limitations (~4mm)
- • Incomplete maturation
KEY TECHNOLOGY PROVIDERS
System1 Bio
Brain organoid platform for neurotherapeutics discovery. $25M Series A.
AxoSim
Neural organoid and nerve-chip technology for CNS drug development.
STEMCELL Tech
STEMdiff Cerebral Organoid Kit for research applications.
PRIMARY SOURCES
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Nature (2013): Lancaster et al. - Cerebral organoids model human brain development
View on Nature → -
Frontiers: Brain organoid protocols and limitations
View on Frontiers → -
PMC: Human brain organoids for disease modeling
View on PubMed Central →