Cerebral organoids and their potential for studies of brain diseases in domestic animals

Abstract

The brain is a complex organ and any model for studying it in its normal and pathological aspects becomes a tool of choice for neuroscientists. The mastering and dissemination of protocols allowing brain organoids development have paved the way for a whole range of new studies in the field of brain development, modeling of neurodegenerative or neurodevelopmental diseases, understanding tumors as well as infectious diseases that affect the brain. While studies are so far limited to the use of human cerebral organoids, there is a growing interest in having similar models in other species. This review presents what is currently developed in this field, with a particular focus on the potential of cerebral organoids for studying neuro-infectious diseases in human and domestic animals.

Organoids, Biocybersecurity, and Cyberbiosecurity—A Light Exploration

“…Organoids have also been crucial in developing bioinformatics, which help to manage and analyze complex biological data. The convergence of organoid technology with computing has spurred research in the development of hybrid systems, assays, and processes that combine biological and digital elements; these advancements, if fulfilled, have significance for future research and have potential applications in clinical settings, offering new avenues for diagnostics and therapy [139][140][141][142][143][144][145][146][147][148][149][150]. This is not without considerable ethical and regulatory implications, highlighting the need for guidelines in this rapidly evolving field.…”

Animal Model Alternatives in Filovirus and Bornavirus Research

“…Alternatively, translation may simply fail when a certain animal model inherently cannot predict the human response due to its biology [ 187 , 197 , 214 , 216 , 218 ]. Indeed, some biological phenomena simply cannot be reproduced in animal models, for instance, the complexity of the human brain, human-specific organogenesis, human-specific metabolism or anatomy, or (epi-)genetic diversity [ 135 , 139 , 197 , 219 ]. This was true for a brincidofovir compassionate use trial by Dunning et al during the 2014 EVD outbreak, when NHP studies were circumvented on the basis of an altered drug metabolism in the animals [ 220 ].…”

“…This may also pave the way towards precision and personalized (patho-)physiological models that may be employed in drug development and choice [ 123 , 139 , 168 , 221 ]. Moreover, modeling in nonhuman species further widens the tool-box for host and reservoir screening of emerging diseases [ 150 , 219 ], particularly in the context of zoonoses such as bornavirus disease, where animal models may possibly be closer to a reservoir species, and therefore represent an infection that is not relevant for human disease. Interestingly, next to mouse [ 222 , 223 ] and NHPs [ 224 , 225 , 226 ], iPSCs already exist for a wide range of domestic species, including pigs [ 227 , 228 , 229 ], horses [ 230 , 231 ], cattle [ 232 , 233 ], and sheep [ 234 ] (reviewed in [ 219 ]).…”

“…Moreover, modeling in nonhuman species further widens the tool-box for host and reservoir screening of emerging diseases [ 150 , 219 ], particularly in the context of zoonoses such as bornavirus disease, where animal models may possibly be closer to a reservoir species, and therefore represent an infection that is not relevant for human disease. Interestingly, next to mouse [ 222 , 223 ] and NHPs [ 224 , 225 , 226 ], iPSCs already exist for a wide range of domestic species, including pigs [ 227 , 228 , 229 ], horses [ 230 , 231 ], cattle [ 232 , 233 ], and sheep [ 234 ] (reviewed in [ 219 ]). Such models would present major advantages, particularly in emerging viruses such as borna- or filoviruses.…”

A Transcriptomic Approach to Elucidate the Mechanisms of Gefitinib-Induced Toxicity in Healthy Human Intestinal Organoids

“…3D intestinal organoids are no exception as they have shown to possess key features of human in vivo intestinal tissue, namely crypt-like structures [17,18]. These features have improved the understanding of tissue/organ development, homeostasis, and diseases [19][20][21], particularly in cancer modulation and anti-cancer drug research. Several studies on cancer research have applied 3D organoids to investigate tumorigenesis, cancer progression and therapeutic screening including brain [22], lung [23], breast [24] or GI organoids [25].…”