Neuropsychiatric Disorder Organoid Modeling Service

Psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism are among the most complex and debilitating human conditions. Their origins lie in the intricate wiring of the human brain, but studying these "connectopathies" has been profoundly difficult. Animal models cannot fully recapitulate uniquely human cognitive and behavioral traits, and the highly polygenic nature of these illnesses makes them challenging to model. There is a critical need for human-specific, functional models that can link genetic risk to the circuit-level dysfunction seen in patients.

Creative Biolabs rises to this challenge with our Neuropsychiatric Disorder Modeling Service. We engineer advanced 3D models—from region-specific organoids to complex, multi-region assembloids—that recapitulate the developmental trajectories and functional deficits implicated in psychiatric disease. Our platforms provide a transformative tool to dissect disease mechanisms, identify novel therapeutic targets, and accelerate psychiatric drug discovery.

Disease-Specific Platforms for Modeling Circuit-Level Dysfunction

We have developed a specialized portfolio of organoid and assembloid models, each designed to investigate the unique pathophysiology of specific psychiatric disorders.

1. Schizophrenia (SCZ) & Psychosis Models

Schizophrenia is increasingly understood as a disorder of altered brain connectivity, with a strong neurodevelopmental component. We model its key features using:

• Thalamocortical Assembloids: To investigate the well-documented disruptions in thalamocortical communication, we fuse thalamic and cortical organoids. This platform is ideal for modeling how genetic risk factors, such as the 22q11.2 microdeletion, lead to anatomical and functional phenotypes like aberrant axon growth and altered network activity.
• Forebrain Organoids with Glial Co-Culture: To study the role of neuroinflammation and interneuron dysfunction, we utilize cortical organoids co-cultured with microglia and astrocytes. These models are used to investigate the impact of risk genes like DISC1, which affects progenitor proliferation and neuronal organization.

2. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) & Syndromic NDDs

We model the core cellular phenotypes of ASD, such as Excitatory/Inhibitory (E/I) imbalance, using:

• Forebrain Assembloids: By fusing dorsal (cortical) and ventral (subpallial/MGE-like) organoids, we directly model the migration and integration of GABAergic interneurons—a process disrupted in many forms of ASD. This allows us to study the functional consequences of mutations in high-confidence ASD risk genes, such as CHD8 and FMR1.
• Cortical Organoids: These models are used to analyze how specific mutations (e.g., in MECP2 for Rett Syndrome, CACNA1C for Timothy Syndrome) lead to cell-autonomous defects in neuronal maturation, synaptic development, and network activity.

3. Bipolar Disorder (BD) Models

Our models provide a powerful platform for investigating the cellular basis of BD and predicting treatment response. We use:

• Hippocampal and Cortical Organoids: Derived from patient iPSCs, these organoids recapitulate key disease-relevant phenotypes, including neuronal hyperexcitability and mitochondrial dysfunction.
• Pharmacogenomic Applications: A crucial application of our BD models is testing drug efficacy. These patient-derived neuronal models have been shown to predict an individual's clinical response to lithium, with neurons from responders showing a normalization of hyperexcitability in vitro while those from non-responders do not.

4. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) & Anxiety Models

While more complex to model, we investigate the cellular mechanisms of mood disorders and treatment resistance using:

• Serotonergic and Forebrain Neuron Models: We generate organoids containing functional serotonergic neurons to study the effects of antidepressants. By using iPSCs from patients who are responsive versus resistant to SSRIs, our models can uncover the cellular basis of treatment resistance, such as altered serotonin receptor expression and neuronal hyperactivity.
• Choroid Plexus Organoids: These models secrete a CSF-like fluid and can be used to test the transport and permeability of novel therapeutic compounds across the blood-brain barrier.

Our Workflow

Model the Human Connectome. Discover the Mechanisms of the Mind.

Move beyond the limitations of conventional models. Partner with Creative Biolabs to leverage the power of human-specific assembloids and dissect the circuit-level basis of neuropsychiatric disease.

Speak with a CNS Modeling Expert