Neural Organoids as a Model for Personalized Neurosurgical Treatments

Abstract

Neural organoids have significantly advanced personalized medicine, particularly in neurosurgery, by closely replicating human brain development and disease mechanisms. These 3D models, derived from human pluripotent stem cells, offer unprecedented opportunities to study neurodevelopment, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer in patient-specific contexts. The use of neural organoids derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) allows researchers to create individualized brain models that capture the complexity of conditions like epilepsy, glioblastoma, and Parkinson's disease. In glioblastoma research, "tumoroids" composed of patient-derived tumor cells integrated into organoids mimic tumor behavior, providing insights into immune evasion and resistance to conventional therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation. This allows for the testing of novel therapies targeting specific tumor survival pathways, including immune checkpoint inhibitors. In epilepsy, organoids simulate seizure activity, helping identify seizure foci and abnormal neuronal networks, which is critical for refining resection strategies in drug-resistant cases. Furthermore, organoids enable the testing of antiepileptic drugs and gene-editing technologies such as CRISPR, offering tailored therapeutic approaches. These advancements demonstrate the capacity of neural organoids to bridge the gap between disease modeling and clinical applications, providing a powerful tool for optimizing neurosurgical interventions and accelerating drug development.