What Are Assembloids?
Cortico-Striatal Assembloids
Fusion of cortical and striatal organoids to model the circuitry involved in motor control and reward processing. Used to study Huntington's disease and movement disorders.
Cortico-Hippocampal Assembloids
Combined cortical and hippocampal organoids for studying memory formation, learning circuits, and Alzheimer's disease pathology.
Thalamo-Cortical Assembloids
Fusion modeling sensory relay pathways between thalamus and cortex. Key for understanding sensory processing disorders and epilepsy.
Research Applications
Circuit Formation
Studying how neural circuits form during development, including axon guidance, synapse formation, and functional connectivity between brain regions.
Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Modeling autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, and other conditions involving disrupted connectivity between brain regions.
Network Pharmacology
Testing drug effects on inter-regional neural communication and circuit-level function rather than isolated cell populations.
Transplantation Research
Understanding how transplanted organoids integrate with host tissue and form functional connections.
Key Research Groups
Stanford University - Sergiu Pasca Lab: Pioneered cortico-striatal and cortico-spinal assembloids
Harvard University - Paola Arlotta Lab: Cortical organoid fusion and neural circuit assembly
UCSD - Alysson Muotri Lab: Brain-spinal cord assembloids for motor neuron disease