Abstract

Parkinson’s-On-a-Chip: Unravelling the Complexity of Neurodegenerative Diseases Using a Chip-based Midbrain Organoid Model

Peter Ertl, Professor of Lab-on-a-Chip Systems, Vienna University of Technology

One of the main limitations in neuroscience and in the modeling and understanding of neurodegenerative diseases is the lack of advanced experimental in vitro models that truly mimic the complexity of the human brain. With its ability to emulate microarchitectures and functional characteristics of native organs in vitro, induced pluripotent stem cell technology has enabled the generation of human midbrain organoids. To improve organoid reproducibility and iPSC differentiation, we have developed a sensor-integrated organ-on-a-chip platform allowing long-term cultivation and non-invasive monitoring of hMOs under an interstitial flow regime. Our results show that dynamic cultivation of iPSC-derived hMOs maintains high cellular viabilities and dopaminergic neuron differentiation over prolonged cultivation periods of up to 50 days, while neurotransmitter release of hMOs is detected using an electrochemical sensor array.