Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have developed a groundbreaking multi-region brain organoid (MRBO), a lab-grown model that integrates neural tissues from various brain regions and incorporates rudimentary blood vessels. This innovation offers a significantly more accurate representation of human brain development and is poised to revolutionize the study of complex neurological disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease.
The MRBO contains approximately 80% of the cell types found in a developing human brain, allowing for the study of multiple systems functioning in concert. Annie Kathuria, the lead researcher and an assistant professor in Johns Hopkins' Department of Biomedical Engineering, stated, "We've made the next generation of brain organoids—models that mimic how the full brain begins to develop." This advancement moves beyond previous organoid models that typically focused on a single brain region. The MRBO provides a unique platform for observing how neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions manifest and progress by replicating multiple interconnected brain regions and their vascular structures. This human-cell-based model offers a more relevant alternative to animal models for studying these complex, whole-brain affecting diseases. Furthermore, the development of these advanced organoids could significantly impact the pharmaceutical industry, potentially improving the success rates of drug screening for neuropsychiatric drugs, which currently have a high failure rate of approximately 96% in early clinical trials.