Brain organoid model systems of neurodegenerative diseases: recent progress and future prospects.

Abstract

Neurological diseases are a leading cause of disability, morbidity, and mortality, affecting 43% of the world's population. The detailed study of neurological diseases, testing of drugs, and repair of site-specific defects require physiologically relevant models that recapitulate key events and dynamic neurodevelopmental processes in a highly organized fashion. As an evolving technology, self-organizing and self-assembling brain organoids offer the advantage of modeling different stages of brain development in a 3D microenvironment. Herein, we review the utility, advantages, and limitations of the latest breakthroughs in brain organoid endeavors in the context of modeling three of the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases-Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease. We conclude the review with a perspective on the future prospects of brain organoid models with their myriad possible applications in translational medicine.