Striatum Organoid Modeling Service

Let's talk about the striatum. It’s sitting right at the heart of how we move, learn habits, make decisions, and experience reward. Understanding this incredibly complex part of the brain is key if we want to find better ways to treat conditions like Parkinson's disease or certain psychiatric disorders. But here’s the challenge: studying the human striatum directly, watching how it develops its intricate connections, and figuring out precisely how things go wrong in disease has always been extremely difficult.

That’s why Striatum Organoids represent such a significant leap forward. Grown right here in our labs from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), these aren't just cell cultures; they're sophisticated 3D models that genuinely recreate important aspects of how the human striatum develops in vitro. They offer a unique viewpoint into the cellular makeup and molecular events shaping this vital brain region.

But we take it a step further. We know the striatum doesn't work in isolation. So, we carefully assemble these striatal organoids with organoids from other connected brain regions – like the cortex or midbrain – to build dynamic Assembloid systems. This lets you investigate the very neural circuits implicated in health and disease with unparalleled human relevance.

How Our Striatum Modeling Can Help Your Research

We’ve developed a range of specialized services, drawing inspiration from pioneering research, designed to give you the specific models you need:

• Human Striatum Organoids:

Want to focus on the striatum itself? Our protocols generate robust organoids displaying characteristic striatal development and containing key cell populations, including functional, electrically active medium spiny neurons (MSNs) – the main output neurons of the striatum. These are perfect for fundamental developmental biology, cell-type interaction studies, and compound screening directly on human striatal tissue.

Fig.1 Generation of human striatal organoids.¹

• Midbrain-Striatum Assembloids:

Investigating the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway? This connection is famously vulnerable in Parkinson's disease. We assemble midbrain organoids (the source of dopamine neurons) with striatal organoids to model this specific pathway. You can track the outgrowth of dopaminergic neurites (even monitoring them in real-time), observe synapse formation, and assess functional dopamine release onto striatal cells. We can even incorporate inducible aging factors to model early, age-related Parkinson's phenotypes.

Fig.2 Midbrain-striatum assembloids build nigrostriatal links.^2,4

• Ventral Midbrain–Striatum–Cortex Assembloids (MISCOs):

Ready for a more integrated view of the dopamine system? Our spatially arranged three-part assembloids (MISCOs), bring together ventral midbrain, striatum, and cortex. This setup uniquely allows you to study how dopamine neurons distinctly innervate both striatal and cortical targets within the same system, offering insights relevant to movement control (Parkinson's), reward pathways, addiction research, and potentially cell therapy applications.

Fig.3 Generating linear tri-regional (VM-Str-Ctx) fused organoids.³

• Cortico-Striatal Assembloids:

Need to understand the critical conversation between the cortex and striatum? We expertly fuse cortical and striatal organoids, allowing you to directly observe how cortical neurons extend axons, navigate towards, and form working synaptic connections with striatal MSNs. Using techniques like viral tracing and functional assays (such as optogenetics combined with calcium imaging), we can confirm these circuits are active, providing a powerful platform to study pathways vital for motivated behaviors and implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders like 22q13.3 deletion syndrome.

• Targeted Disease Modeling:

Put human neurological conditions directly under your microscope. By using patient-derived iPSCs or applying CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, we help you build models focused on specific genetic contributions or cellular problems. For example, you can probe Parkinson's mechanisms using our Midbrain-Striatum systems, explore circuit dysfunctions in developmental conditions like 22q13.3 syndrome with Cortico-Striatal models, or investigate processes relevant to Huntington's disease or addiction within these humanized systems.

Modeling early phenotypes of Parkinson’s disease by age-induced midbrainstriatum assembloids

Why Collaborate With Us?

• Genuine Human Biology: You're working with models built from human cells, providing insights that animal models or simpler cultures often miss.
• See Circuits in Action: Don't just study isolated cells. Our assembloid approach lets you analyze how different brain regions functionally connect and interact.
• Confidence Through Validation: We confirm our models are alive and active using rigorous methods like electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and functional assays.
• Authentic Cellular Detail: Our careful protocols generate models containing the key cell types (like MSNs and dopamine neurons) in arrangements that reflect in vivo development.
• Model Relevant Disease Features: We leverage techniques shown to capture disease-specific phenotypes, giving you a more translatable research tool.
• We're Your Research Partner: We believe in collaboration. We’ll work closely with you to understand your unique research goals and tailor the best modeling strategy to answer your questions.

Our Workflow

Let's Get Started on Your Striatal Research

Ready to explore the human striatum and its intricate circuits with more detail and biological relevance than ever before? Whether you're tackling fundamental questions about brain development, dissecting complex disease mechanisms, or evaluating potential new therapies, our advanced organoid and assembloid models offer a powerful advantage.

Reach out and talk to our scientific team today. Let's discuss your specific project needs and explore how our tailored Striatum Modeling Services can propel your research forward. We're eager to help you make the next breakthrough.

References

1. Chen, Xinyu et al. “Human striatal organoids derived from pluripotent stem cells recapitulate striatal development and compartments.” PLoS biology vol. 20,11 e3001868. 17 Nov. 2022, doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3001868. Distributed under Open Access License CC BY 4.0. The original image was modified.
2. Barmpa, Kyriaki et al. “Modeling early phenotypes of Parkinson's disease by age-induced midbrain-striatum assembloids.” Communications biology vol. 7,1 1561. 23 Nov. 2024, doi:10.1038/s42003-024-07273-4
3. Reumann, Daniel et al. “In vitro modeling of the human dopaminergic system using spatially arranged ventral midbrain-striatum-cortex assembloids.” Nature methods vol. 20,12 (2023): 2034-2047. doi:10.1038/s41592-023-02080-x. Distributed under Open Access License CC BY 4.0. The original image was modified.
4. Distributed under Open Access License CC BY 4.0 without modification.