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SUMMARY:Cerebral organoids: modelling human brain development and tumorige
 nesis in stem cell derived 3D culture - Dr Jürgen Knoblich\, Institute of
  Molecular Biotechnology\, Vienna
DTSTART:20180301T130000Z
DTEND:20180301T140000Z
UID:TALK75541@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Caroline Newnham
DESCRIPTION:The human brain is unique in size and complexity\, but also th
 e source of some of the most devastating human diseases. While many of the
 se disorders have been successfully studied in model organisms\, recent ex
 periments have emphasized unique features that can not easily be modeled i
 n animals. We have therefore developed a 3D organoid culture system derive
 d from human pluripotent stem cells that recapitulates many aspects of hum
 an brain development. These cerebral organoids are capable of generating s
 everal brain regions including a well-organized cerebral cortex. Furthermo
 re\, human cerebral organoids display stem cell properties and progenitor 
 zone organization that show characteristics specific to humans. We have us
 ed patient specific iPS cells to model microcephaly\, a human neurodevelop
 mental disorder that has been difficult to recapitulate in mice. This appr
 oach reveals premature neuronal differentiation with loss of the microceph
 aly protein CDK5RAP2\, a defect that could explain the disease phenotype. 
 More recently\, we have been able to generate organoid based models for hu
 man brain cancer and demonstrated their feasibility for drug testing. Our 
 data demonstrate an in vitro approach that recapitulates development of ev
 en this most complex organ\, which can be used to gain insights into disea
 se mechanisms.\n\n
LOCATION:Biffen Lecture Theatre\, Department of Genetics\, Downing Site
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