The Arlotta team is developing a 3D brain organoid platform, which makes it possible to study aspects of human brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders in a format amenable to large-scale production and genetic engineering.

These organoids reach extended levels of maturity, generating many cell types of the endogenous tissue and mature neuronal traits and circuits. They can be formed from patient-derived neuronal cell populations and thus hold the potential to become a unique tool to define clinically relevant neuronal circuits and to discover therapies for complex neurological disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.