Overcoming brain organoid variability: choosing the right organoid protocol
Date: 8 May 2025
Time: 9am-4pm (GMT+1)
Form of training: online.

Multiple brain organoid and spheroid protocols have been described in the last 10 years. Although all retain the intrinsic properties of human brain development, differences rises in the recapitulation of multiple cell types and pace of whole organoid maturation. Often, organoids show regional heterochronicity needing to adapt or select the most suitable conditions for each experimental step. In this course we will revisit the multiple protocols highlighting the advantages and disadvantages in the context of human brain development in health and disease. We will highlight the multiple readouts and organoid based analysis and its pros- and cons-

The course will directed to experimental researchers with solid experience in neuroscience and iPSC/ESC derived models that want to incorporate brain organoid models in their research pipeline.  

Main points of the training plan 

1. Differentiation protocols available. 
2. Maturation requirements: tips and tricks. 
3. Microscopy analysis: histology and functional live microscopy. 
4. Molecular analysis: RNAseq, scRNAseq, ATAC-seq.  

Sandra Acosta, PhD, Assistant Professor about herself:

As a scientist, I have a long trajectory in the fields of iPSC/ESC-derived brain organoids and genetic and neurodevelopmental disease modeling. I am Serra-Hunter Fellow and Assistant Professor at  Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona (April 2021). Throughout my career, I tackled questions related to the development of the central nervous system implementing in vitro and in vivo models of brain development in health and disease. Briefly, during my PhD, I got the chance to receive an early introduction and work with culture of 3D tumoroids (then called Neurospheres). Next, I expanded my international profile during two postdoctoral fellowships in the lab of Prof. Pierre Vanderhaeghen in Brussels (2009-2013) and Prof. Oliver at Northwestern University in Chicago (2014- 2018).
My lab is centered in understanding central questions of human brain development in health and disease. To this purpose, we tackle our questions from a multidisciplinary perspective. This approach lead us to developing several tools, from a genomics and technological AI perspective, and to contribute to the pathogenesis associated to developmental epilepsy, Alzheimer disease, as well as to understand how the human-most brain traits arise evolutionary.