iPSC-derived Cerebral Organoids Core

Coordinators:

Prof. Rossella Di Giaimo

Prof. Marianna Crispino

email: digiaimo@unina.it

email: crispino@unina.it

The Department of Biology at University of Naples Federico II hosts the IPSC-derived Human Cerebral Organoids Core as model systems to understand the main molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating human cortical development. This Core offers scientific support for research projects, as well as for lectures dedicated to Ph.D and ungraduated students.

The brain is one of the most complex organs of the body. Human brain differs from that of other mammals in terms of shape, size and complexity. In particular, the human cerebral cortex is by far the most complex brain region resulting from its selective evolution within mammals over millions of years. The interest of scientists in investigating the human corticogenesis is constantly growing in the recent years, since advancements in this direction may help in unraveling the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating brain development, their alterations in human brain disorders, as well as the evolutionary brain differences across species. Several animal models including primates have been used for this purpose, but these models are limited in recapitulating human-specific features. Recent technological achievements in the stem cell research field have enabled the generation of human models of corticogenesis, called human cerebral organoids.

This Core takes advantage of IPSC-derived 2D cell cultures and 3D Human Cerebral Organoids to study the different aspects of cortical development and neuronal maturation in normal and pathological conditions. Moreover, the Core exhibits the expertise to generate patterned organoids, as well as assembloids, to model different areas of human brain and their interconnections.

The Human Cerebral Organoids Core routinely performs the following experimental procedures:

• iPSC cultures
• NPCs and neurons generation from iPSC cells
• Generation of unpatterned, ventrally and/or dorsally patterned Organoids and assembloids.
• Isolation of synaptosomes from HCOs to investigate synaptic protein synthesis, intracellular RNA localization and transport, extracellular vesicles secretion mechanisms.
• Cellular and molecular characterization (RNA seq, RT-qPCR, proteomic analyses and immunofluorescence)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All the collaborators of the Human Cerebral Organoids Core must acknowledge the Core in publications: “The authors acknowledge the iPSC-derived Cerebral Organoids Core at Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, for its scientific support.”