Brain Organoid Characterization

brain organoid characterization

Image courtesy of Corey Landry

Brain organoids have allowed neuroscientists to make valid predictions about human neurodevelopmental diseases on the basis of organoid morphology, cellular distribution and composition, and gene expression. Following this trajectory, neuroscientists have proposed brain organoids as a model of human synaptic function. However, this approach is hindered by a primary limitation: techniques to characterize the electrophysiology of living synapses are far too slow and laborious to be applied to comparative or longitudinal studies required to validate organoid models and generate new hypotheses. We are currently addressing this limitation to the growth of brain organoids as a model of synaptic physiology by advancing the throughput and quality of automated multiple patch clamping in intact brain organoids.