Thomas Parmentier, Jonathan LaMarre, Jasmin Lalonde
Current Protocols; Volume 3, Issue 4, April 2023
Scientists present detailed instructions for neurotoxicity testing with cerebral organoids and use Axion’s Maestro MEA platform to evaluate neural activity in real time.
Scientists are increasingly relying on the use of three-dimensional cerebral organoids to evaluate the toxicity of both natural and manufactured substances, but differences in protocols to generate organoids can make interlaboratory comparisons challenging. In this article, scientists present detailed instructions for setting up a culture system to generate cerebellar organoids from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), and provide protocols to evaluate neurogenesis with ethynyl deoxyuridine labeling and assess neural activity with calcium imaging and Axion’s noninvasive, label-free Maestro Edge microelectrode array (MEA) system. Overall, the authors suggest that these instructions will help scientists implement organoid technologies for neurotoxicity testing and “allow researchers with limited experience in cell culture to implement this relevant model of human brain development in their laboratories.”
