Harnessing cerebral organoids for Alzheimer's disease research

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder affecting the aging population. Despite many studies, there remains an urgent need to identify the root causes of AD, together with potential treatments. Cerebral organoid technology has made it possible to model human neurophysiology and disease with increasing accuracy in patient-derived tissue cultures. Here, we review the most recent advances in modeling AD in organoids and other engineered threedimensional cell culture systems. Early studies demonstrated that familial AD patient-derived organoids robustly develop disease pathology. Ongoing work has expanded this focus to investigate the genetic and environmental causes of late-onset sporadic AD and harness organoids for high-throughput drug screens. Future organoid models will need to incorporate additional cell types and tissues implicated in disease pathogenesis, including microglia and vasculature. We anticipate the continuation of this rapid progress in developing cerebral organoid technology toward facilitating our understanding of and informing treatment strategies for AD.

Automated summary

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder that affects the elderly. Despite numerous studies, the root causes and potential treatments for AD remain to be identified. Cerebral organoid technology has allowed for the modeling of human neurophysiology and disease using patient-derived tissue cultures. Recent advancements in organoids and other three-dimensional cell culture systems have led to the development of robust disease pathology models for both familial and sporadic AD. The future of organoid models will involve incorporating additional cell types and tissues to better understand the disease and optimize treatment strategies.