Spinal Cord Organoid Development
The relevance of spinal cord organoids is profound as they deliver a 3D model which is physiologically accurate for studying spinal cord biology, pathologies, and therapeutic development. Protheragen offers advanced spinal cord organoids with region-specific neural circuits and disease pathology that are accurately modeled. Our platform offers predictive models for drug discovery and mechanistic studies through the integration of gene editing, 3D neural differentiation, and functional validation.
Overview of Spinal Cord Organoids
Brain organoids are self-organizing, 3D neural structures created from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), which comprise embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Their functional neural networks, cellular diversity, and human neurodevelopmental capabilities portray miniature brain-like organs. This makes them extremely useful for research on complex neurological disorders which are challenging to study in animal models or two-dimensional cell cultures.
Spinal cord organoids are intricate forms of 3D cell culture, which reproduce the characteristics of a developing spinal cord. These organoids are usually formed from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) such as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The organoids can self-organize into structures that looks like the intricate architecture of the spinal cord. Such organoids are useful for studying diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and other rare motor neuron disorders which are challenging to model with animals or 2D cultures.
Fig.1 Generation of dorsal-ventral human spinal cord organoids via functionalized composite scaffolds. (Xue, Weiwei, et al., 2023)Key Features of Spinal Cord Organoids
The development of spinal cord organoids has marked a significant milestone in the study of human neurodevelopment and disease modeling, offering unparalleled insight into the intricacies of spinal cord biology. These three-dimensional microphysiological systems perfectly mimic three critical aspects of in vivo physiology:
Cellular Diversity
Spinal cord organoids are made up of a variety of neural and glial cells such as motor neurons (MNs), interneurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia which are similar to those found in the human spinal cord.
Spatial Organization
Spinal cord organoids possess spatial organization like that the developing spinal cords, including the ventral and dorsal horns. Such correspondence allows for investigating region-specific pathological processes.
Disease Specificity
Through patient-specific iPSCs or targeted genetic engineering, spinal cord organoids allow accurate reproduction of neurological disorders and serve as clinically pertinent models for studying the mechanisms and treatments of such disorders.
Our Services
Specializing in cutting-edge spinal cord organoid development services, Protheragen is dedicated to accelerating therapeutic development for rare neurological disorders, including rare motor neuron diseases, and providing physiologically relevant 3D models for preclinical research. These models facilitate robust assessments of pharmacodynamic (PD), pharmacokinetic (PK), and toxicology profiles, while reducing reliance on animal models.
Spinal Cord Organoid Development Services
Region-Specific Spinal Cord Organoid Development
Protheragen uses small molecule-guided neural patterning technology to generate region-specific spinal cord organoids from human iPSC/ESC. Our protocol generates distinct ventral and dorsal organoids through precise control of morphogen gradients. These 3D cultures contain functionally mature motor neurons, interneurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes arranged in architecturally related spatial arrangements.
- Ventral Horn Organoids
- Dorsal Horn Organoids
- Intermediate Zone Organoids
- Whole Spinal Cord Organoids
- Cervical/Thoracic/Lumbar Regional Models
- Others
Disease-Specific Spinal Cord Organoid Development
Using gene-edited iPSCs or patient-derived cells, we construct pathological spinal cord organoids to replicate disease mechanisms. Our models incorporate disease-relevant cell types including microglia for neuroinflammation and vascular cells for barrier studies, with functional validation through electrophysiology and biomarker analysis.
- ALS Organoids: SOD1/C9ORF72 mutations with TDP-43 pathology
- SMA Organoids: SMN1 deletions with motor neuron degeneration
- Spinal Cord Injury Models: Trauma/ischemia-induced gliosis
- Neuroinflammatory Models: Integrating microglia replicate complex neuroimmune interactions
Spinal cord organoids developed by Protheragen adhere to the highest ethical and regulatory standards. All models undergo rigorous quality control and come with full IND filings. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us for more details and quotation information of related services.
Reference
- Xue, Weiwei, et al. "Generation of dorsoventral human spinal cord organoids via functionalizing composite scaffold for drug testing." Iscience 26.1 (2023).