Cerebral Organoid Models for Neurotropic Viruses

Across zoonotic pathogens, RNA viruses are responsible for disproportionate levels of human disease, suffering, and death. Neurotropic RNA viruses (e.g., rabies, Japanese and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Ebola, West Nile, Powassan) infect the brain and spinal cord, causing meningitis, encephalitis, microcephaly, and Guillain-Barre syndrome. Mechanistic data explaining the molecular mechanisms of these diseases are lacking, and the enclosure of the central nervous system and the associated meninges in bone complicates access for diagnosis, clinical treatment, and research. Here, we discuss new tissue models, imaging methods, and molecular techniques that are changing research aimed at understanding the pathogenesis of neurotropic RNA viruses.