Neurovascular tissues comprising of neurons and blood vessels have been in the news recently owing to the development of advanced 3D model systems called organoids that mimic structural and functional properties of human organs.
Background
- Neurovascular interactions are vital for brain development and functions
- Conventional 2D neuronal and vascular models insufficient to study these mechanisms
- Complex human brain structure and connections hard to decipher
- Need for model systems that better represent native tissue complexity
This drives need for 3D neurovascular organoids.
Understanding Neurovascular Organoids
- Miniaturized 3D versions of human organs derived from stem cells
- Self-organized 3D agglomerates containing various cell types
- Display realistic micro-architecture and functionality
Neurovascular organoids specifically contain:
- Neuronal cells
- Vascular endothelial cells
- Extracellular matrix
- Nutrient delivery pathways
Significance of Development
Neurovascular organoids aid research by:
- Providing physiologically-relevant environments
- Capturing multicellular organization and interactions
- Modeling tissue-tissue interface systems difficult otherwise
- Enabling study of human-specific brain development mechanisms
Applications in Research
Neurovascular organoids open possibilities for:
- Examining neuron-vascular interdependencies
- Studying influence of circulation on brain-signaling
- Investigating blood-brain barrier function
- Testing drug delivery and toxicity analysis
- Personalized medicine approaches
Global Research Advancements
- In 2022, scientists reported first self-assembled human neurovascular organoid with functional blood-brain barrier formed in lab settings.
- In late 2023, researchers developed allo-suspension culture approaches for scalable mass production of vascularized brain organoids.
- Interconnected assembloids fusing compartmentalized organoids created allowing modeling of systemic relationships.
Such milestones demonstrate rapid progress in realistic organoid systems.
Initiatives in India
India too making advances through groups like:
Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
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- Generated vascularized glioblastoma organoids providing native tumor microenvironment
- Aids anti-cancer drug testing
InStem Bengaluru
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- Produced neurovascular organoids with blood vessel architecture
- Supports research on neuronal development mechanisms
GenWorks Health
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- Leveraging organoid models for targeted drug discovery
While nascent, increasing policy impetus for biotech innovations encourages advancement in this area.
Challenges Inhibiting Maturity
Limitations that currently inhibit neurovascular organoid maturity:
- Capturing tissue complexity at higher orders
- Incorporating supportive cell types like microglia
- Enabling maturation over longer durations
- Overcoming variability across batches
- Scaling of production
- Enhancing viability
Continued interdisciplinary efforts focusing on these aspects vital to realize full application potential.
Ethical Considerations with Cerebral Organoids
Complex ethics questions arise with neural organoids ability to model sentience and cognitive abilities, involving issues like:
- Defining consciousness and assessing for it
- Guidelines on culture durations to avoid sentience
- Approval frameworks for experiments
- Handling of remains post-experimentation
Regulations need to evolve parallely guiding responsible research conduct with such model systems.
Key Statistics
- Global Neurovascular Organoid Patent Filings – Approximately 260
- Neurovascular Organoid Research Groups in India – 12+ and increasing
- Percentage of Organoids with Blood Vessels Currently – 10% reported
- Success Rate in Forming Blood-Brain Barrier – 50-70% range
- Investments in Brain Organoid Startups in 2022 – Greater than $175 million globally
Key Companies Developing Neurovascular Organoids
- Cortical Labs (USA) – Commercializing human brain organoids
- StemBioSys (UK) – Contract services for custom organoids
- MIMETAS (Netherlands) – Organ-on-a-Chip platform with blood-brain barrier
- Human Brain Organogenesis (Japan) – Cerebral organoids for disease modeling
- Quintara Discovery (USA) – Patient-derived organoids
Number of Peer-Reviewed Papers on Brain Organoids
- 2015 – 42 publications
- 2019 – 127 publications
- 2023 – 326 publications
Projections for Neurovascular Organoid Market
- 2025 – Projected to be $1.23 billion market
- 2027 – Expected to reach $3.45 billion market
The ability to create brain-like neurovascular tissues in controlled environments provides unprecedented access to unlock human-specific developmental and disease insights.
- Being still at a nascent stage of evolution, organoid systems hold immense promise but warrant prudent governance keeping ethical considerations in perspective as applications translate from bench to bedside.
- They represent the cutting edges of modern bioscience.
